The Family Name
by HextechZydrate
Summary: Edit: The rating is going up to MA! For future reference! Thank you! Elijah and Klaus split the wealth and fortune of their chain of restaurants, inherited from their grandfather who recently passed. They've hired a girl to be the newest chef in their newest opening, and while she was initially drawn to Elijah's friendliness, Klaus had wiggled his way into her good graces.
1. First of All

"Okay girl, you got this." I said to myself, looking into my reflection for what I hoped to be the final time. I wanted to make sure every flaw was covered, every hair in perfect place, every inch of my being screaming "I am confident, fear me". Now I just needed to believe it. With a deep breath that I was sure to be my last, I exited the bathroom.

The first thing that came into view was my roommate, standing in the hall across from the bathroom, impatiently tapping her foot against the wood floors, sending vibrations down the long hallways that echoed back to me. Her hair was frazzled, and her eyes were heavy, but impatient. I shrugged gently.

"Sorry, Keelin... I'm just nervous."

"Girl," She said as we traded places in the bathroom, a hairbrush pointed at me, as if it were supposed to be a menacing object, "You've been cooking since you were 8. You've been to 5 schools in 8 years, and you have toured the world in search of bettering yourself. You're a freggin' idol." She said. Somehow, none of those things comforted me, even though I knew them all to be true facts, but the grin on her face spread like wildfire. "If those jerks in that tower don't immediately offer you a job upon arrival, they are idiots, and deserve any thrashing you give them."

"I'm NOT going to give them a thrashing..." I grumbled. "...I'm certain they'd like it." The comment eased the tension between us, and in spite of my nerve wracking fear, I found myself laughing with her. "...Alright, I should go. I want to beat traffic, and NOT be late for this job I'm definitely not getting."

"Way to be optimistic!" She shouted as I made my way down the hall. I picked up my purse, shoving my phone, keys, and wallet inside of its ever spacious compartments, before making my way to the outside world. I stood on the doorsteps for a while, gazing into the scenery of the concrete jungle surrounding my apartment, the occasional trees there to give it some color, surrounded by dark gates to keep you from ever reaching said color. The streets were littered with newspaper, and people who were walking to work with headphones in, along with the occasional cars. This early in the morning, hardly anyone was on my street. Good for me. I closed my eyes for a moment before taking the first step down.

It took me a few minutes, but I eventually found myself in front of a very looming building; Tall, and quite intimidating with the large 'M' on the front, signifying exactly who this particular building belonged to. Before I could even assess the nervous bubble rising in the pit of my stomach, the door opened, giving me a fright, and I jumped away from the opening. The door maid smirked from the other side of the glass pane.

"I believe you are expected this morning, yes?" She said casually, still grinning at me. I pulled my purse closer and cleared my throat.

"Yes. I have an interview. I was asked to come in early."

"I believe they are already here, expecting you." That's unsettling. Am I late? I looked to the watch on my wrist. I was, in fact, way too early for my own good. "Come in." She said, motioning into the doorway. I pulled myself through it, envisioning myself leaving all of the bad luck and nervous vibes on the sidewalk to melt in the sun. I was greeted by a second set of doors, which was also opened for me. The man holding this door was less chatty, and merely stared into nothing as I went by, even after thanking him.

My heels clicked loudly on the tile of the room, the silence in the air really not settling well with me. I couldn't hear the air movement of the conditioner, even though it was absolutely freezing inside. There were no fans, no hustle and bustle. Just silence. It was unnerving, and growing more so with each slow click of my heel. I looked over each neatly kept table, each with its own centerpiece, with each chair in its place surrounding it. The place was absolutely stunning, befitting the name of the owners.

"...Where is everyone?" I wondered aloud, looking around. The dining hall was large, and yet not a soul to be seen. And the eerie quiet pushed me to make a decision: I was going to the kitchen.

I found the doorways quite easily, and pushed into them, grinning as I came upon the view. It was fully furnished, with everything an aspiring chef could dream of. I awed in how pristine it was, and how clean everything seemed. I'd never seen a kitchen sparkle before. I set my purse down on the counter, browsing the various equipment; Fryers, retarders, pots and pans, knives. I stopped at the sharp objects sticking from the magnet in front of one of the counter tops, which I assumed was for prep. I reached for one, interested in it.

"Typically, those are _reserved..._ for the chef." A very British, slightly cross voice echoed through the kitchen. I jumped, turning towards the sound as the echo died around me. He had slacks on, with a slightly opened shirt, as if he'd just woken up from a deep slumber in fairy tale land. He was scruffy, and his hair was beautifully disheveled, but his eyes were bright and beautiful, albeit hard as he stared at me. He was extremely attractive, and I found myself gaping. His hands were behind his back as he slowly approached the table I was frequenting. "That is, when we have one." The voice came out of his mouth, and I found myself speechless. "Might I ask what you are doing in my kitchen?" He said, standing on the other side of the table, just an arms length away from me.

"I-" I said quietly. He tilted his head slightly. I cleared my throat gently. "I apologize. I am here for an interview, but I didn't see anyone, and I wasn't directed." I said, looking towards the door. "I got a little carried away thinking I might find someone in here. The place is _stunning_." I grinned before turning back to him. He seemed less than amused, forcing me to lose my grin. "Uh... Anyway, I'm Tassryn." I said, extending my hand to him.

"I don't remember scheduling... Well, _you_ , to be interviewed today." He said, looking me over and disregarding my hand. "In fact, I don't believe I'd scheduled anyone today." I felt a twinge of anger somewhere, but quickly pushed it away as I let my hand fall to my side. As I was about to say something to him, A voice interrupted.

"That's because you didn't, Niklaus." Another man, and another British accent, stepped into the kitchen, looking entirely more prepared than the previous, donned in a suit and tie. He ran a hand through that wavy hair of his, as if it wasn't perfectly in place already. His face was well kept, his suit well pressed, his entire being well furnished. Was he a god? Had my heart stopped? My eyes darted between the two. The first, clearly more rebellious of the two was staring at the other, and the suited one was staring at me.

"I told you I'd handle it this time." The rebellious looking one, Niklaus, said through gritted teeth.

"And I told you no." The man said, turning to view him. They stared at each other for a while before Niklaus turned to glare at me, giving me a once over, and leaving the room with haste. The Greek god turned back to me with a sigh. "My apologies for his behavior. It appears he is in need of more coffee." He gave a slight grin, and my heart fluttered. He approached, hand outstretched to me. "Elijah Mikaelson."

"Tassryn." I said with a grin as I shook his hand. "I didn't mean to wander off." I confessed.

"Not to worry. I'd like you to get familiar with the surroundings." He said. "I've read a great deal about you. You're quite the novice."

"Am I?" I chuckled nervously. "That's certainly bold."

"Am I wrong?"

"...Well, I... Suppose not." I said gently. "What does one call an accomplished food taster?"

"A chef." He mused, to which I laughed. "Not to rush, But I do have several things to attend before tonight. May I?" He said, motioning to the doors to the dining hall. "I'd like to discuss what we expect from you."

"Expect?" I inquired, taking a few steps toward my purse I had left. "You talk as if I already have the job."

"Did I not make that obvious?" He grinned, walking with me. "Well, you're only partially hired. The way we interview is a bit different than most. Please." He motioned again to the doors. I swiped the purse up and headed into the hall, finding myself being lead to a table with several papers on it, scattered about. I was made to sit in the most gentlemanly way, my chair being pushed in before he, himself, took a seat next to me.

"So, what is it that should be expected of me?" I started. He flashed a grin at me.

"Quick to the draw..." He said gently. I gripped my purse hard in hopes to keep myself from blushing. "The interview process starts with a taste test." He said, pulling about some papers before handing it to you. "These are a few of the lists from several of our chains, to give you an idea of what we try to accomplish here." I looked down at the lists, skimming over one. I turned to the second and became confused. More so when i hit the third, really reading it now.

"...These are all different." I looked up at him. "Vastly so."

"Exactly." He grinned. "Each restaurant we've opened, we've asked for each chef to bring their individuality. We want their best, and their favorites. I tend to find that things from the heart are the best things to serve." He shrugged slightly, and I found myself smiling. "So! The way this will go is such: You will have 3 days to come up with a menu. We ask you make a minimum of 5 courses, simply so we can have a variety of your desired flavors. Obviously, one of those should be a desert." That was a given, I thought to myself.

"There will be a handful of people here from other restaurants, and myself included, to eat these dishes. You will be staffed as if its a full kitchen, as if its a full restaurant. You will have any resources at your disposal. Am I clear so far?" I nodded. "Good."

"Should I expect to practice here?" I inquired, to which he perked up. "And how many people will I be serving for? Is your team prepared to follow a chef they don't even know? Or even know that It's only my trail run?" He laughed slightly.

"Those are all very good questions. Surprisingly, you're the first to ask rather than jump in head first."

"And how many of those head first chefs did you fire?" I said, a grin spreading on my face. He leaned back in his chair.

"...5 of them." He mused. I gave a small smile and he tilted his head. "Alright, then. I'll send you a list that will answer all of your questions by the end of today, at the latest. I assume this is your current place of residence?" He slid a piece of paper closer to me, which i immediately recognized as my application. I looked at it briefly and nodded. "Then I shall have it delivered there."

"Thank you so much... Uh..." I cleared my throat. "...It's strange to just call you Elijah." He raised his eyebrow slightly before chuckling.

"Would Mr. Mikaelson roll off the tongue better?" He said coyly, to which I had no answer. I probably looked like an idiot, sitting there with my mouth open. He laughed. "I'll let you ponder on that choice." He said as he stood, knocking me out of my befuddled trance. I stood as well, taking his outstretched hand and shaking it. "Pleasure, Tassryn." He smiled.

"...Pleasure's all mine, Mr. Mikealson." I said with a grin, turning to take my leave before he could say anything else to make my heart leap. As i was let out of the first set of doors into the street, I noticed my nervousness had not melted into the sun, but it'd come back with a vengeance. I turned to look up at the building, the realization of my encounters today as the 'M' looked over me.

I had met both of the Mikaelson brothers, and I'd never wanted to die more in my entire life.


	2. A Small but Necessary Insight

Elijah had mentioned that I could utilize anything in the kitchen in the week that I was given to work on the meal plan for my official interview, that way I could get myself familiar with the way it was set up, and how I wanted things to go. The first day, I came in to immediately meet with the staff, all of which seemed be eager to have a leader. All except... one.

I couldn't get my mind off of the sour facial expression the girl had for me, either. If she and I couldn't get along, then the kitchen would be utter chaos, considering she was the Sioux chef.

So, I sat at the table in the kitchen, tapping my pencil repeatedly at the five meal plans I had laid out in front of me. I've been staring at them for, what seemed like, 20 minutes or so. They were all good choices for me, but I was not the one who needed to be impressed. Feeling defeated for the moment, I slumped back into the chair, pulling out my phone, intending to give myself a temporary distraction from the stress in front of me.

But, for some reason, my mind led me to look up what the Mikealson's were all about. Specifically, the two I had met prior to this rapidly approaching stress ball scattered on the table in front of me, reminding me of my impending doom. I started with Klaus.

He seemed like an alright guy, although by most of his "donations" and "public appearances", he'd done it mostly in the benefit of himself. The articles made sure to note that things he was doing or helping with were always in relation to something to do with the family. On top of that, he seemed to have left a string of girls in his wake, causing rifts and waves in the rich kid world. There were lots of pictures of him shouting at camera's or beating up reporters. I grimaced slightly before moving down the wiki page.

An interesting thing then came into view.

"...Elijah, Niklaus, and Rebekah Mikealson at one point stationed their business in New Orleans, staying there for quite a long time before passing off the reigns to their good friend, Marcel, and disappearing as if they'd never been there, and yet their influence was seen within all the business there. None more so than the restaurants in the area, trying to keep up with the Mikealson's successful chain of high quality restaurants that had been brought with them. Today, it is a well kept restaurant." I read this bit of information aloud. They had been in Louisiana the longest, huh? I tapped my lower lip with my finger before looking up to the menu's i had in front of me, leaning my chair back slightly.

"...Well. I think I've just had an idea." I said, setting my phone down. A gathered up my current papers and turned them over, beginning on a new menu, based on the information I had just learned.

I know EXACTLY how I'm going to nail this interview.


	3. If You Can't Handle The Heat

"Right, garnish it just like that."

"No no, too much sauce. You don't want it to overpower the main dish, just to empower it."

"Wait wait! Just needs a little bit more here..."

The kitchen was a hectic place, but it always helped to have a fantastic team. The one provided to me by Elijah was very professional, and very... thorough. And also very good at taking directions. Although, by the looks on their faces, they felt a little relieved I wasn't some dog barking orders at them. Seemed like they'd had a lot of that in their chef life. I grinned at them as each dish was set on the counter in front of me, and the waitress and waiters wiped off any little specs that made the dish out of place, then placed them on the table in the kitchen.

My hands sped across the kitchen, making sure every meat was cooked perfectly, every sauce a taste of perfection, every vegetable diced to precision. Nothing could be any more perfect.

Well, except for that scowling face the Sioux chef held as she watched me. Technically, what I was doing was also her job, but seeing as this was the practice run before the big show tomorrow, I wanted her to get acquainted with the way I work. She hardly lifted a finger. I suppose that was for the best, considering the minimal effort she put into the things she was doing.

And after each dish was served onto the table, she sat down across from me, looking over the dishes with a clipboard in her hand, just as I was. There were six dishes in total. 4 of them were the main courses, one was a dessert, and one was a pallet teaser. All, of course, were of the Creole variety, and likely to fluster the tempered brother. The thought alone made me giddy.

"...The plating between these two is far too similar." I said, tapping the dishes I was referring to. "I'd like to switch them up. Any suggestions on how to re-plate?"

"Whatever." She shrugged. "Looks fine." I narrowed my eyes slightly before scribbling some notes about plating changes.

"...The sauces here look a bit dull in contrast with the dish. What do you think?"

"Yeah." She didn't even bother writing anything. I narrowed my eyes slightly at her before jotting down a couple more things.

"And this one..." I said, not tapping a plate, or looking at any of them, "What do you think about it?"

"Yeah, its fine."

"I didn't pick one."

"Yeah... What?" She looked up from her clipboard, confused, and mildly annoyed.

"I hadn't chosen one. Just wanted to see if you were interested in what I had to say." She was silent to that. I put my clipboard on the edge of the table and crossed my fingers together. "Listen... If I get this job, you are stuck with me, and I am stuck with you. I'd rather not replace you, seeing as you come recommended by _both_ brothers... Highly." She narrowed her eyes.

"So?"

"So, I want to make an effort here. What am I doing to piss you off so much?"

"You're taking _my_ job." she growled before clattering her clipboard against mine. "I begged for a chance to prove I was ready for this. And they were seriously considering it. But..." She stopped there sighing before turning away. "Forget it."

"Weren't you in a lower position before this?"

"Mind your own business." She said lowly.

"Maybe this is your chance to prove that you could handle being on the top." I leaned back in the chair with a sigh. "Sioux Chef is a big honor, really. Bigger than head chef."

"Bullshit." She scowled at me and I chuckled.

"If you're to be my Second in command, then you're supposed to be my partner. You should be able to do everything I do, and more. Better, even. Because your job is to make the dishes I pick to our perfection. If you got my position, your Sioux would be the same. I would depend on you to be me in my absence if I'm sick, or away. Meaning, you've just as much sway in this kitchen as I do." She seemed confused as her eyes flicked this way and that, not sure how to feel about it all as she took in my words. "That's how I want this kitchen to run... You're not my lesser. I will value your opinion. And hey... I'm not even guaranteed to get this anyway." I laughed slightly. She stared at me for a long while before I held out my hand to her. "What do you say?" She looked down at my hand for a while before sighing, reaching out and... Picking up the clipboard.

What was it with the tempered ones here?

"Those two dishes are way too similar. There's a couple different ways we could try it. We could ask the kitchen to re-plate with the leftovers to see how it would look. And I think these colors are fine, but maybe just a dash of a brighter color, so it isn't as blended to look at."

"Duly noted." I said, picking up my clipboard, and we both scribbled down our ideas. "And how do you think we should change this one, Miss...?"

"Gross. Don't use 'miss'. I'm the same age as you." She grimaced slightly. "I'm Kira... Also, you should re-plate the dessert... It's Klaus' favorite. If you really want to get under his skin, you should plate it like his protege." She flicked her eyes up at me with a slight smirk.

"I... Well, it wasn't my intention for that, but... If you insist." I smiled, too, plotting notes about the re-plate on the dessert.

"And the garnish here... Not needed. It looks good without it."

"Alright. Then... Let's move onto taste, Kira."

~.~.~.~.~.~

I paced nervously as the dessert was going out the door to the guests, to which Kira chuckled.

"Chef, sit down. You're giving me anxiety just from looking at you." She shouted from the cutting board. I sighed, flopping in my seat. Most of the staff were now doing clean up from the last of the dishes. Really, it was quite a smooth process, and I couldn't help but feel proud of this team, even if I only got to have them for a short period. I stood up and walked over to the counter and shouted for attention.

"No matter what happens after tonight... Thank you for being one of the best staff I've ever worked with." I laughed as I saw some smiles. One even crept into Kira's features. "Seriously, the last time I had a functional staff was in South America, and let me tell you how PLEASANT the staff there is... Especially if you had to work with a family. Oye." There were some laughs and I nodded. "So, even if I don't get this opportunity, I'm glad to know someone out there is gonna get the best team. Ever." I applauded to them, and they joined in.

"Great speech n' all, but shouldn't you- _Oh boy_." Kira was piping in before her face fell and she stood up straight. The kitchen fell mostly silent, beyond the clean up. I sighed, getting this feeling of dread on my neck as I turned. Sure enough, my suspicions were confirmed as Klaus towered over me, dessert in hand as he glowered.

"...What is this?" He said quietly, to which I raised an eyebrow.

"Is there... Something wrong with it?" I looked to it, trying to decipher by sight if something was wrong with the plate he was holding. Low and behold, there was.

He hadn't even dug into it yet.

"I asked... What it was."

"Dessert, Niklaus." I said, cocking my hip slightly. "What seems to be the problem?" He dropped the dish to the counter behind me, and I watched as it fell, the plate clattering against the metal. I looked back to him and he leaned in closer, looming over me.

"It couldn't have been a coincidence that you happened upon this particular genre of dish. Let alone to know that this dessert is my favorite. And the particular plating of it..." His voice was close, and harsh, but his breath didn't smell. Had he eaten any of the dishes I made?

"Well, _it is_ common knowledge to Wikipedia that your favorite place is New Orleans." I brushed off his tone. "However, I chose these dishes based on their popularity. Had I known the dessert was your favorite, well..." I turned to the plate again, surprised that it hadn't shattered, and picked it up, "I would've definitely chosen something else." I turned back, a fork in hand. I pressed it into the food, shoving a bite in my mouth and humming at the taste. "Great job, Kira." I shouted over my shoulder. He flicked his eyes up in her direction. I could feel the tension of that comment. I then shoved the plate into his hands.

"I wont eat it." He growled.

"Even if you say no, if those other people love it, your overruled."

"I could raise hell until they changed their minds."

"And exactly what good would that do you?"

"You'd be fired."

"And you'd have a staff who got to watch your temper unfold, and force your brother to restaff the entire kitchen because not a _damn_ one of them would work for a spitfire boss with a bad attitude."

"You better watch your tongue." He growled lowly.

"You've insulted me enough, and you want _ME_ to hold _MY_ tongue?!" I yelled, taking a step forward. Our foreheads were nearly touching as I glared up at him. "You didn't touch a _damn_ thing they brought out to you! You probably just sat there and pouted, like a _child_!"

" _I SAID TO WATCH YOUR MOUTH._ " He threw the plate this time, it shattered against the wall, pieces of shard and cake now an art piece against the white tiles. "I don't have to eat your _bloody_ food to know exactly what your about, batting your eyes at Elijah like some kind of harlot, and whisking in to take this job, all the while _I'm_ the one who's the bad guy!"

The rage that built up inside of me from being called a 'whore' was quick, and I forced myself to breath, listening to the silence of the kitchen. After a few moments I turned to look at them and smiled. "Would one of you mind cleaning that up please?" They were hesitant, probably from the looks that Klaus was now shooting them, but two of them moved towards the mess. I turned back to Klaus.

"Is that all you have?" He mused, a little smirk in his face.

"Klaus... Sit down." I motioned to the table in the corner, and his face contorted with anger from being given a command. "... _Please_." I motioned again. "Let me show you the real reason I was asked for." He glared down at me, reluctant to go, but eventually, his feet moved towards the table. I turned to Kira. 'Re-plate the 3 dishes we talked about, including dessert."

"Yes, Chef." She said without hesitation and began to command the rest of the staff quietly. It didn't take long, as most of it was still readily available, and I took them up in my arms and brought them to the table. He eyed them for a moment before taking the fork I handed to him and fiddling with it.

"If I remember right... I was a little starstruck with you, too." He raised his eyes to me. "It was a shock that neither of you were an eyesore. I expected it to be some grumpy old man who didn't want to dirty his hands. Forgive me if it seemed like I was ogling over EITHER of you." I laughed before digging into the first dish. Quietly, he did the same. The bite I took was the most amazing thing I had ever tasted... Because I had literally not eaten from the nervousness eating at my stomach the entire day. So, I became a little overwhelmed with hunger and pretty much destroyed the plate myself, with a few pokes from Klaus here and there.

Same thing happened with the second dish as well.

"Are you always this ravenous?" He sighed. I swallowed the food in my mouth.

"...Sorry." I laughed. "I've been busy... Haven't really eaten yet."

"Well, by all means, have my portion, too." he seemed to joke before taking a bite.

"Oh? Is that _teasing_ I hear?" I smirked. He pointed the fork at me with a glare.

"Do _not_ make me regret this."

"Oh, never." I grinned before pulling the dessert towards him. He stared at it.

"...Did Marcel give this to you?"

"Actually no. I chose the dish, and didn't know it was your favorite until... well, later." I shrugged. I took a breath as he pulled at it with his fork, getting quite a bit on it, and shoving it into his mouth. He chewed for a while before finally swallowing and laughing gently.

"It's... Good." He said, taking another bite. "Not as good as New Orleans, but... Good." Another bite. "...Perhaps I'll have him send you his recipe so I don't have to travel so far to get it."

"...So... Does that mean..." I tilted my head slightly.

"Yes, you buffoon. You're hired."

"But, what about the-"

"They adored your dishes and plating. The lowest score given was an 8 out of 10. You were hired before I came in here." He shrugged, taking another bite. "Elijah found it most punishing to send me in to tell you. So... I decided to do things my way."

"I'm not sure if I should be impressed, or pissed off." I said, leaning back into my chair. "But... Hooooly shit, Am I really hired!?"

"You're going to make me say it again?"

"Hah!" I laughed, leaping from my chair and sprinting towards the kitchen. Everyone looked at me like I was out of my mind, and I cleared my throat, trying to clean my act up like nothing had happened. "I am officially Head Chef here." Everyone cheered, and I even coaxed a smile out of Kira as she approached.

"I think I'd follow just about anyone who could quell his temper." She mused. I laughed.

"Ah... He's barely anything to handle." I grinned. "So... You'll be sticking around then?"

"I suppose you need someone who's experienced with this kitchen." She shrugged. She stuck her hand out and, without hesitation, I grabbed it and shook it. "Welcome aboard."


	4. Table For Two

It's been about a month since that day, and everything was what I had hoped for. A week after my official hire-on day, I received a letter from Elijah, with a brief congratulations. Standard formal letter, as far as i was concerned. The entertaining part was his side note, stating his intrigue to my raising hell in the kitchen at his brother. I kept the letter on the mantle of the fireplace, neatly folded and standing to where the "congratulations" was sure to be seen.

In the following weeks, I was halfway shadowed in the kitchen by my Soux Chef, and halfway shadowed by the eccentric brother, Klaus, both curious about my work as I decided what to do with the resteraunt's menu, Although I'm fairly certain it was not for the same reasons.

I also got to meet two more family members in the short time. Freya, the eldest sister and official accountant for the company, met with me to discuss costs of the resteraunt, labor, and food cost, that way I could use that information to shape my ideas on how and what to cook. She was very official, and although friendly, she was hesitant. I wasn't sure if it was because I was a new hire (basically), or if it was for other reasons. She was polite, none the less, and our business talk was very informative on both parts.

The second member and younger sister, Rebecca, came to train the hosts and hostess', all of which Elijah hand picked. I didn't question it much, as I felt I could trust his judgement after owning -several- successful restaurants. Rebecca came into the kitchen to introduce not just herself, but the hosting staff to the kitchen, before taking a peculiar interest in me. Part of me wondered if it was because the entire family knew about my outburst with Klaus, painting me a good picture of what they must think of me. The other part of me wondered if she had plans of her own, which did not bode well, either.

And now, after all this quick chaos of introductions and training and staffing, the kitchen was silent. Silent, except for the tapping of my fingers against the metal tables that would separate the waiter's from the chefs come tomorrow: The first official day of opening.

My mind was reeling at all the things that could go wrong. Not only that, but had I missed anything? Was there something I forgot to buy? Something I forgot to put on the list? Did Freya think it was too much? Was it too much?

"...Okay, _enough_." I said out loud as I put my hair up. I needed to give myself something to do.

Luckily, the kitchen was staffed with enough leftovers from the previous weeks that it would be entirely possible to cook... Well, anything I wanted. And I needed to give my hands something to do. Also, it was a good excuse to eat.

I diced some tomatoes, and chicken, whipped up some eggs, cooked pasta, and threw together, in an already hot pan, some carbonara, barely cooking the egg as it coated the pasta, then dumped it onto a plate. I stared at it for a moment before I got the best of me and garnished it, adding some cheese on top as well. _Predictable._

Quickly I rinsed off all the dishes I had used before scooping up the plate and some utensils and pushing through the double doors into the main hall. I had fully intended to utilize the newly installed TV in the very front entrance until I noticed a figure a few feet away, sitting over a table that was barely lit by, what looked like, a candle, or possibly a dim phone light. The doors made a strange clicking sound as they closed behind me and the figure's head popped up to look at me, startled it seemed. After a few moments of silence, a throat was cleared.

"My apologies," A British voice said politely, "I didn't realize anyone else was here."

"...Elijah?" I took a few steps towards him. "I thought I was here by myself, too." We both chuckled slightly. "Are you... I mean, may I join you?"

"Please." He motioned to the table. I strode quietly before setting down the plate across from him and settling into the seat. He seemed to stare at the plate of food for a little while before smiling at me. "Sorry if I frightened you."

"Same to you." I grinned. "What are you doing here so late?" I asked as I looked over to his side of the table. Papers laid askew in front of him, with various scribbles and markings of, what I could only assume were, notes and... sentences?

"Ah... Last minute paperwork. Since tomorrow..." He trailed off slightly, looking over it himself as his smile noticeably faltered. That was when I noticed he didn't look particularly well. Perhaps he hadn't slept in a while, or just slept in his suit, as it was disheveled. His hair was slightly messy, probably from running his hands through it due to stress. I laughed slightly, to which he perked up from his daydream.

"Why don't you take a break?" I grinned, pushing the plate and fork at it. "Have some of this. I made too much, anyway."

"That's very kind of you, however..."

"Ah!" I warned, to which he raised an eyebrow. "It is impolite to deny a chef's meal, especially if what they offered you was their personal dinner." I mused as I stood. "Go on. I'll be right back." Before he could protest, I pushed back into the kitchen to grab another fork for myself, and a bottle of wine that would pair well with pasta, accompanied by glasses and a cork screw. As I came back, I paused to watch him spin the fork, wheeling the pasta around it slowly, as if to savor the moment. I grinned slightly before pushing myself to go back to the table.

"This is so simple, but it's quite delicious." He smiled before putting the fork into his mouth.

"I imagine it's because you're hungry." I grinned, making to open the wine bottle.

"Mm." His mouth was full, but he motioned for the bottle, and I shrugged, handing it to him. He was very swift with it, like he'd done it a million times, popping it open and pouring it with such ease. It was almost -fun- to watch. He handed me a glass after putting down the bottle.

"Thank you." I grinned, going for a bite of pasta myself.

"So. What are _you_ doing here this late?" I took a deep breath and sighed heavily.

"Jitters? Anxiety? Nerves?" I shrugged slightly. "All of the above. I will likely stress about it until the night is over, So I... made something." I motioned to the food between us before taking a bite.

" _You're_ stressing?" He smirked at this. "Odd, it seemed like you were pretty collected for the whole thing."

"Was I?" I laughed. "Hold on, where were _you_ hiding that you would know that!?" I pointed my fork at him, and he raised his hands in defeat, laughing. "You didn't even say anything to me... How impolite of you."

"Guilty as charged." He mused. "I was, unfortunately, attending many other things, otherwise I would've very much enjoyed being in your company." He reached for the pasta again, but I pulled it towards me, which perplexed him at first.

"I'm not sure you deserve this now." I smirked, to which he laughed, pulling himself back in his chair.

"Alright, then. What shall I do to get back into your good graces?"

"Hm... What indeed." I took a moment to think before laughing slightly.

"You thought of something?" I nodded. "Well, let's hear it then."

"No, It's... It's silly." I laughed.

"My curiosity is eating at me." He mused. I shrugged slightly.

"Well... I'm curious as to what _your_ favorite dessert is, seeing as I have your brother's secret in case I need it for later use." I laughed. He shook his head.

"Is that all?" He reached over and pulled the plate closer to him. "Its chocolate key lime pie."

"...Well that sounds intruiging." In fact, it sounded delicious, and now I was craving key lime pie. "Where does one procure such a dessert?"

"If one asks their mother for the recipe." He grinned. "She's stubborn, however. She believes that I will use it to make millions. In reality, I just want to keep that family tradition alive for as long as I can..." He hesitated on his next bite before taking it.

"Is she... Alright?" I asked, a similar hesitation. He hummed an affirmation.

"Perfectly. As I mentioned, she's stubborn." We both laughed. "Is your family as stubborn as mine?" To that, I paused. It'd been some time since anyone had asked me about -my- family, I forgot such a conversation could unfold. Elijah must've sensed my unease, and his demeanor changed as well. "Forgive me... I didn't mean to hit a tender subject."

"No, it's alright." I laughed it off gently. "It's just... It feels fresh sometimes still." I took a bite of the pasta and, after chewing thoroughly, washed it down with the wine. "I was disowned early on for following my own pursuits rather than their expectations."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." He seemed genuine, which was warming.

"No, it's alright. I much prefer where I ended up." I grinned, and he mirrored me.

"As do I." He raised his glass as a means for a toast, and I politely accepted, our glassing making a delicate sound as they touched together. "You're going to do perfectly tomorrow. Try not to ware yourself out."

"Thank you for the confidence... and I will certainly do my best." I chuckled. "Are you... Going to be monitoring the floor tomorrow?"

"No." He said quickly, setting down his glass. "Klaus will be."

"Nn." I hummed and nodded, almost disappointed.

"...Seeing as I'll be here to _eat_ instead." He smirked slightly. I laughed.

"Oh I see. A taste tester."

"The very best." We chuckled together before simultaniously digging back into the food. "I was more hungry than I anticipated." He sighed.

"You can finish it." I said, setting down my fork. "I honestly wasn't that hungry. I was just, uh... You know. Nerves."

"Do you feel the need to preoccupy yourself when you're anxious?"

"Very much, yes." I chuckled nervously. "I was going to browse the TV, but..."

"Ah. Sorry. You didn't have to-"

" _No!_ No, I'm glad you were here." I blurted out. It was silent for a moment while the butterflies suddenly built up in my stomach.

"...Me too." He grinned. "It was nice to feel normal for a moment."

"...Anytime." I said quietly. "...I should get going. I have to be up early and be back in a few hours." I said, looking to my watch. "Woo... Literally." I picked up my portion of the dishes and made haste into the kitchen to clean up my mess, pans and all. It only took a few minutes, or maybe it felt that way, simply because I was too focused on the nerve-wracking feeling that hadn't left. Once I was done, I put everything in their prospective places and made to exit.

"Tassryn." Elijah's voice suddenly close to me made my heart leap out of my chest. I held a hand to it, as if it would work to keep it in. He laughed, apologizing for startling me. "My driver can take you home."

"That's alright, I don't mind walking."

"I insist."

"Alright. Well... thank you." He walked me to the car, all of which I could see was black and _very_ shiny, and bid me goodnight as he helped me in. I absentmindedly told the driver my address, and watched Elijah turn into a spec as we drove off. And, somehow, I could feel my heart sink at the sight, but my mind was filled with the chaos coming in the morning.

After thanking the driver for a safe trip, I pushed my way into the apartment. The lights were all off, signifying my roomie had gone to bed, so I did my best to quietly place things in their proper place: Keys on the key hanger, coat and purse on the coat hanger, and shoes by the door. After that, I let my feet take me to my room, the clothing coming off as I did so, and replaced it with pajamas when I entered the threshold that was my own personal space. I flopped on the bed and, with that conversation still fresh in my mind, passed out to the sound of my heart thumping loudly in my ears.


	5. Hot and Cold

Its been a month or so since that conversation. I haven't seen much of Elijah since his "taste testing" night. I imagine he's busy maintaining all of the other restaurants while Klaus is here, making sure its running smoothly. And it was, very smooth. During the small amounts of downtime i'd get between customers and my waiters, I'd watch them. Silently, they critiqued each person they were overseeing, but it was so soft and gentle, and the quickest corrections I'd ever seen in my life as a chef. It made me wonder if he threatened all of them.

However, that would mean Rebekah was _also_ doing something similar, which didn't seem like a thing she would do. At least, not at first. She looked like a girl who could hold her patience... until she couldn't. No one questioned her, though, every time she reached over and fixed something and said quick comments like, "more like this" and "try it this way, please". It was astonishing to watch them work. They were experts.

I feel a little like a country bumpkin comparatively.

Come the end of the night, when the dishwashers were finishing up, and my Sioux Chef was waving me away from the kitchen towards the table where Klaus and Rebekah were conversing. I brought over the plate of leftovers and set it between the two, interrupting whatever they were staring at.

"Take a break, you two." I handed them each a fork.

"We're fine, really." Rebekah smiled, trying to wave off the fork, but Klaus shoved it in her hand while taking his.

"Don't be modest, sister. Trust me, you'll want to eat this.' He grinned devilishly at her before flicking his eyes up at me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but I am mostly sure it was a compliment... I hope. Rebekah eyed the two of us before hesitantly moving the dish over to the side and pulling out the papers on the table so she could see them. Then, she decided to take a bite after. A few moments of chewing procured a groan of pleasure.

"Alright, alright." She sighed while chewing, to which Klaus laughed. "Maybe I'm famished."

"Of course you are." Klaus took a bite himself as I pulled up a chair. He didn't make any noises, and I pretended not to watch while he quietly sighed, finishing the bite off quickly.

"...It's good." He said softly before going for another. I couldn't help but let a smile into my features as I looked down to the papers Rebekah was adamant about finishing before a steaming plate of delicious interrupted them.

"Oh... A floor plan?" I picked them up to inspect them further. "Are we changing the dining room?"

"Just a little." Rebekah said with her mouth full, covering her mouth with her free hand as she set the fork down. Graceful, aren't we? "Klaus noticed the customers, as well as servers, are having a hard time weaving through the table set up, so we are discussing a plan to present to Elijah."

"He has to approve it?" I looked up to Klaus, to which he nodded his confirmation.

"Technically, I can approve it, but seeing as we split the shares of the company, we also need his approval."

"Fair enough." I nodded. "Have you gotten anywhere?"

"None that look..." Rebekah trailed off, looking towards Klaus. I slowly followed her gaze, confused.

"None that Elijah would be interested in." He said. I nodded.

"...So you're trying to please him." I gave a sly grin. He gave me a look that warned me to watch where I stepped, but not enough for me to be afraid of him. I laughed slightly, picking up the papers as I stood. "Well, the best way to do this, I think, would be to see it." Both of their faces contorted in mild interest as I scurried into the dining hall.

"We've finished cleaning, Miss Tass." One of the waiters approached me with a smile. "Is it alright if we head out?"

"Actually, I wonder if you all might stay a few more minutes and help me out with something?"

"Sure!" One of the others said as they all approached me.

"I'm sure you all hate the current dining experience with everyone trying to weave in and out of places with, sometimes, lots of food." They all nodded and hummed their agreement. "So, seeing as you guys are on the floor more than... Well, me, I want you guys to put the tables around the room in a way you'd feel comfortable with. I want to be able to present it to Eli- Mr. Mikaelson," I corrected myself, "So that he can approve it. Is that fair?"

"More than fair." The first waiter grinned. "We'll get right on it."

"Great!" They turned among themselves and began a discussion after I handed them the current floor plans in my hand, and I turned to see Rebekah and Klaus behind me, both with their own set of interested features.

"And you think this will work?" Rebekah asked.

"I think Elijah will like the fact that we took the time to engage our staff into helping correct a problem that prohibited all of us, making him more inclined to approve it." I grinned. Klaus laughed.

"You are... something else." He mused before turning and walking back into the kitchen.

"Huh." Rebekah said, looking after him, then turning her attention to me with a grin. "I see."

"...See what?" I said, feeling my face relax into something of confusion.

"When it comes to Elijah, Klaus... can get a little temperamental. But... He didn't get mad at all." Her grin widened. "Color me impressed."

"I'm not sure what that is supposed to entail." I confessed as she hooked her arm into mine.

"He trusts you." She grinned. "To an extent, anyway." She started leading me back to the kitchen. "I mean, he _told_ me to eat _your_ cooking without hesitation. Something is definitely happening in that brain of his." I swallowed as quietly as I could muster with her being inches from me.

Did Klaus trust me? After all, I humiliated him, and was temporarily the bane of his existence for decision making, especially between him and Elijah. Rebekah confirmed that further just now. I looked up at him as we entered the kitchen and his eyes flicked up at me. His features never really moved from that stoic, intense face he had as he seemed to study me. It was only for a moment he did this before he went back to eating the food left on the table, but it felt like forever. Why do I feel nervous all of the sudden?

I brushed it off as Rebekah messing with my head as we sat down to join him, waiting for the remnants of the kitchen to be done with their duties, and also the addition of the room being moved around.

"Good job, tonight." Klaus said quietly. "This kitchen has become quite the success."

"No doubt you'll be taking all the credit." I teased.

"Hardly. If anything, my brother did all of the extra work. Save for the food, of course. I definitely can't take credit for that."

"I would certainly fight you for the title." I laughed.

"Trust me, I am not the cooker of the family." He said, holding up his hands. "No contest to be had."

"Let me guess, It's Rebekah, right?"

"You think?" He tilted his head. "With the way she carries herself?"

"I'm _literally_ sitting right here." She glared at Klaus, to which I laughed. "...Although I can't disagree. I can make very little in the microwave. Elijah is the real Protege; Mother's favorite chef." She mused.

"Really?" I looked to Klaus who raised an eyebrow at me with a slight smile.

"Is it so astonishing?" He mused.

"I guess not..." I shrugged. "He just seems to be off doing more business-like things while you're here. I assumed _you_ would be the cook." He shrugged slightly.

"Elijah has all manner of skills." He was smiling gently, but I could tell, by his inflections, that saying the words out loud pained him. Did he feel lesser to his brother? I cleared my throat gently.

"I'm sure you will astonish me with _something_." I grinned. He huffed, but the corner of his mouth lifted before he turned his focus to the food yet again.

"Maybe we can invite her to dinner?" Rebekah said mischievously. Klaus shot her a glare, immediately different from that banter he had earlier, but Rebekah laughed anyway. It was some kind of silent argument between siblings. I laughed nervously.

"Yeah, right. I think I would have a heart attack, being invited to the Mikealson household." I laughed it off, hoping Klaus would agree with me. It might sting a little, but I would feel less inclined to be pressured. I looked to him for reassurance, but he wasn't looking at me at all.

"...Actually." He said quietly. "that may be a thing already."

"Do what now?" Rebekah and I questioned in unison. His grin spread slowly as he looked to me.

"She asked about you. Of course, I couldn't deny my own mother." I felt my heart leap into my throat, keeping me from interrupting his spoken words. "She heard the rumors, like many others, about taming the Mikealson brothers, so naturally, she'd want to meet the woman."

"T-taming..? No, I- Why in the _world_ would people think that?" I shook my head, looking between the two of them. They said nothing to my question. I got up from the chair and went straight to the kitchen.

"Tass!" Rebekah called, but I ignored her and made my way to the walk-in ice box. I pulled the door behind me so it would close, and then sat down on a crate nearby. The cooler was in defrost mode, so it was quiet inside, beyond the small crackling noises from various boxes and my own intense breathing.

"...at really necessary?" I heard a voice say as it got closer. I stood and hid by the door, away from the small window that would reveal I was in there immediately. "Why would you say something as drastic as that?" I picked it up to be Rebekah's voice, likely trying to come after me to apologize, or explain.

"To get a rise out of her, of course." A male voice said: Klaus. I gulped slightly.

"We were having a perfectly nice time before you did that. You even smiled!"

"You think I'm just going to open up to anyone I meet in the kitchen?" He seemed forceful about that statement, which oddly hurt. "Always the naive one, sister."

"What's naive is that girl looks up to us, as much as you pretend you don't, I _know_ you do _,_ and you are being a complete ass!" Her voice raised at that last part.

"Do _NOT_ mistake my kindness for respect." He growled. Ouch. That one, too.

"Do not kid me, Nik! I know you have a fondness for her, because she doesn't treat you like some God. Like -all- the others did. She's different. That scares you, doesn't it?"

"Don't pretend to know me."

"I don't have to." Even though that door was thick, I swear I could hear Rebekah turning on her heels and storming off, leaving Klaus in silence. _I should not be hearing this, I should not be hearing this..._ The statement repeated over and over in my mind, but I _had_ heard it. All at once I felt crushed by his words, but empowered by hers. Slowly, I pulled away from the door. I pushed it open, and it loudly made a suction noise as the seal pulled from the frame, and I stepped out into the hall. I looked to my left, and Klaus was standing there, hands in his pockets, staring right at me. I couldn't tell if he was shocked, or sorry, or angry.

Perhaps it was all three.

I didn't move for a minute or two, and we just stared at each other. His eyes shifted downward after a time and he sighed, stepping up to me.

"You heard all that." He stated. I nodded, even though it wasn't a question. "I apologize."

"...Is what you said true?" I asked quietly, stepping out of the walk-in fully and letting it shut behind me. "You're just being nice to me?"

"...Yes." He said quietly. I stared up at him for a moment before sighing, pulling at my uniform as I pushed past him.

"I'll remember that from now on." I walked down the hall, towards the employee area, before I heard him call after me.

"I'm sorry." He said behind me.

"You can't help how you feel." I hung up my chef coat and pulled down my normal one. "I can't blame you for it. We're not friends, after all." I felt the sting in that one as I said it. Somewhere, deep down, I knew it wasn't true. We weren't close, but I feel like we had become friends of sorts over the few months we'd been working together. I sighed before turning to him.

"I'm not..." He said, his face contorting as he tried to gather up his words. "...Good. At this." He ran his hand through his hair with a heavy sigh.

"...I didn't mean what I said." I said quietly. "I think we're friends... Mostly." I grinned slightly, and he just looked at me, still one hand in his pocket. "When you sort yourself out... Talk to me." I patted him on the shoulder as I walked by for the second time. I came into the dining hall and looked around at the arrangement of the tables and grinned.

"What do you think, Miss Tass?" One of the waiters waved from across the hall.

"This is _definitely_ more accessible for everyone, and I think Elijah will agree that it's still aesthetically pleasing!"

"Quite." A voice said behind me. I turned sharply, startled by the sudden voice, and came face to face with said man.

"Speak of the devil." I laughed, holding a hand over my heart. "You scared me."

"My apologies. I suppose I'm just used to stepping lightly." He chuckled. He took a look around the room with a smile. "So, you took it to rearranging the hall?"

"Well..." I rubbed the back of my neck gently. "We were planning on presenting it to you in a floor plan." I looked around and laughed slightly. "So... I guess, this _is_ the floor plan." He laughed as well.

"Indeed." He stepped towards the waiters, who seemed to stiffen at his presence. "I appreciate your efforts. Anything that makes your job easier makes mine easier." They seemed relieved, even smiling when his words passed. "You may all go home now. We'll see you next weekend." Everyone quickly, and excitedly, let themselves out, scurrying in various directions.

"Thank you, Elijah." I said as he turned back towards me.

"My pleasure."

"What are you doing here so late? I thought you would be tired from... Uh..." I trailed off as he smirked at me. "...Whatever it is you were doing."

"I needed to stop by to collect my siblings about some financial business at one of our previous locations." His continued gaze at me only made the butterflies in my stomach rise up quicker than I could swallow them down. I didn't want to admit it, but that slight mischievous look excited me. I could never quite tell what it was going to entail, but I wasn't sure I cared. This rising feeling was getting out of control. "I was actually hoping to run into you."

"Well... You know, I'm here every weekend. You could always stop by." I teased slightly, to which he laughed.

"I apologize for not making time for you." His smirk only widened. _Damnit..._ I couldn't hold back the grin. "...Perhaps you could be so inclined as to spare some of _your_ time then. Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? What for?" I inquired.

"My Mother's interest in you has reached a peak, and she can no longer trust outside sources. She wants to meet you personally." He laughed. My heart sank, which he must've noticed in my features. "...Unless you have other engagements?" He seemed disappointed.

"N-no. Not... particularly." I said, feeling myself shrinking.

"...You're nervous." He laughed, which inclined me to shoot a glare at him for laughing at my insecurities. "Don't be. We have spoke nothing but good of you."

"Oh, _good_ , now I'm on a pedestal." I laughed nervously before turning away from him.

"...I'm sure it may be obvious," He said behind me, but I felt his footsteps against the carpet shifting as he made to come around to face me again, "But Klaus is not one to praise someone to mother highly, if ever at all."

"...Klaus?" I said, the skepticism heavy in my voice.

"If I hadn't heard it myself, I wouldn't have believed it." He shrugged gently. "...Come, Tass. I'll have Rebekah come get you to calm your nerves." Is this why Rebekah had been mad at Klaus? His approach? Did she call in Elijah as an extra reinforcement? Looking up at him, I had a feeling that he was asking me separately, and I am inclined to follow my gut. So then... Did Klaus really not want me to go? After a time, I looked up at him with a sigh.

"I don't own a single thing that would be appropriate attire for an elegant dinner."

"I suppose I'll be coming by a lot earlier then." Rebekah's voice came from behind me. I whipped around as she grinned. "We'll have a girl's day tomorrow before we go to dinner."

"...I don't get a choice, do I?" I turned to Elijah, who grinned.

"Are _you_ going to tell her no?" I sighed, to which Rebekah giggled.

"It's settled then. I'll pick you up at noon."

I unwillingly gave her my phone number and address, all the while, Elijah had this crazy grin on his face, like a kid in a candy store who'd won the jackpot, and I just wanted to punch him. It also made my heart swell. He escorted the two of us out, waving to his driver to come over to us.

"Charles, would you mind taking Tassryn home?"

"My pleasure, sir."

"Oh, no, really, it's okay-" I tried to say, but was interrupted with a sigh.

"Its been almost two months, and you _still_ cannot bring yourself to ask the driver for a ride home?" He raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged.

"I enjoy the walk. I told you last time." I grinned.

"Nonsense. It's getting colder, and I won't stand for you to walk everywhere, especially when the weather turns for the worst." Charles, the driver, opened up the car door with a similar grin as Elijah earlier, and I wanted to punch him, too. I walked over and seated myself in, Elijah close behind me. "You have his number?"

"Yes."

"Good. Please use it." He grinned.

"Yes, _sir_." I mused. He tilted his head, a little warning towards my tone, but pulled away and closed the door. As Charles got in, I sighed.

"He must like you." The man said.

"Come again?"

"It's not often he pays particular attention to someone's well being. You must be interesting him, to some degree." The butterflies came back in full force as he began to pull away, and I forced myself to look down at my hands, rather than watching him turn into a spec in the back window. My mind reeled at everything that had transpired and I closed my eyes to keep from spinning.

I wasn't getting any sleep tonight.


	6. The Party: Part 1

I was abruptly woken by my alarm clock around 11, its tone rattling my brain from my night stand a few inches away. I inhaled deeply, stretching for it to move as little as possible, barely tapping the top of it with the edges of my fingers to make the noises go away.

I was _not_ ready to get up yet.

I knew, however, that Rebekah would be here in an hour, and I needed to at least shower, eat, and put on some form of makeup, because we were _not_ going shopping with my haggard features visible to the public eye.

I stared at the ceiling for 5 minutes, contemplating how to disappear from the world, before throwing the blankets off me in frustration and heading toward the restroom.

"Hey girl." I was met with my roommate as she opened the restroom door to greet me, a toothbrush hanging from her mouth. She looked how I felt. "Shower?"

"Quite." I laughed. She pulled the door open and waved me in.

"I'm almost done. Just finishing up my teeth."

"Take your time." I wiggled around her towards the tub and flicked the water on.

"Isn't it like, your Friday or something? Aren't you usually asleep?" She asked between brush strokes and spitting into the sink.

"Yes." I answered flatly over the roaring of water pouring from the faucet. I could feel her giving me a look of question, but I chose to ignore it, switching the water over the shower-form.

"...And what could _possibly_ make you get up at this hour?"

"...Dinner." I said flatly, pulling the shower curtain.

"...Dinner?" The skepticism poured from her. "At 11 in the morning?"

"It's an all day adventure. One which I _do not_ wish to currently participate in. Alas... Here we are." I groaned slightly, pulling away at my clothing before getting into the warmth and comfort of water. I let it flow over me, hoping it would melt me into the drain with it. After coming to terms with being a solid mass, I washed myself, and got out. The rest of the routine was standard: Dry, clothes, hair, makeup, hair again.

My phone went off as I was stepping out of the bathroom. Looking down, it was a number I didn't recognize, which immediately made me think it was Rebekah.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Morning, Love." A male voice said on the other end. I paused in the hall, my entire being taking the unexpected shock.

"...Klaus?" I questioned, to which he chuckled.

"Rebekah is running a bit behind, so I offered to get you. I hope you don't mind." Oh, I mind. I mind a lot.

"...No, I guess I don't." I tried to keep my sigh inaudible.

"Good. Than your chariot awaits."

"Can I ask you something?" I said before he got a chance to hang up. I waited to moment with the silence as I picked up my bag and slipped on shoes at the front door.

"...It can't wait until you get out here?"

"It might determine whether I come out at all." I grabbed my coat and held it tightly to my form, staring at the door as he sighed in the phone.

"Then it can't be helped." He said softly. "What do you want to know?"

"Yesterday... When you mentioned the whole "dinner" thing," I started, making a weird face as I contemplated if that was the best way to call our conversation at the restaurant, "...You knew Elijah was going to ask me, didn't you?"

"...Yes." He said.

"Yet, you spoiled it."

"Was there a question there or..?"

"Why?" I asked, turning to the couch and sitting on it. It was silent for a moment before he sighed.

"I'm coming up."

"What? No you're n-" Click. I looked at the phone and groaned, which was immediately followed by the buzzer of someone wanting access to the apartment. I took a deep breath in before standing and walking over to the intercom, leaving my coat and purse on the couch.

"Let me see you." He said when I clicked the audio on.

"I don't want to."

"Why?"

"I'm... I don't want to look at you." I said, hoping it was quiet enough that he didn't hear it. I'm sure he did, though. "I don't think I can face you if you say something I dislike."

"If it truly offends you, I'll let you sock me." He sounded like he was joking, which made the corners of my mouth twitch, but I wouldn't let them budge. "...You really are going to make me stand out here tell you something important through a little box?" _Well, when you put it that way..._ I mentally grumbled before, hesitantly, hitting the buzzer to open the door.

After a few moments of silence, I heard the footsteps, then a gentle rapping at the door. I pulled it open to reveal him, wearing dark jeans and a low cut, black top, accompanied by a leather jacket and a roguish smile.

"There she is." He said as he stepped in.

"Come on in." I said sarcastically as I closed the door behind him. I turned to view him again, leaning against the door as I watched him ogle my apartment.

"Well, this is very quaint."

"No doubt homely compared to your estate." I rolled my eyes slightly.

"Is that how you see me?" He said, looking over his shoulder. I opened my mouth to say something, but couldn't find the right words, so just ended up snapping it back shut. He chuckled before meandering towards the kitchen.

"Oddly enough, this style fits you." He said, and I felt inclined to follow him; monitor his movements. The kitchen was small, and painted yellow on most of the walls (per preference of the building owners), with various kitchen equipment of my liking that I'd either collected over the years, or inherited from various jobs.

"And what style is that?" I asked, sitting at the bar as I sighed for the millionth time.

"Comfortable." He said, running his fingers along the white tile of the island counter top. His remark was oddly endearing, and I didn't know how to respond.

"...You're supposed to be answering my question." I said, changing the subject.

"Indeed." He shrugged. "My answer is that I had no reason to torment you."

"...What?"

"Exactly as I said." He turned to me with a devilish grin. "Simply, I wanted to see you squirm. This was the perfect opportunity to see where you reside."

"...So do I get to sock you now?" I asked as I stood and came around the kitchen.

"Hold on." He laughed, holding his hands up as he backed away, cornering himself by my sink. "I admit, it wasn't very nice of me, but it _is_ the truth."

"Yes, and you told me I could hit you."

" _If_ it offended you."

"And I'm feeling very offended right now. I mean, you busted up my pride, _and_ your brother's pride, for what? A sneak peek into the life of your employee? You couldn't just read the file?" I balled my fist up with a determination in my eyes. Then, he sighed, pulling himself away from the counter.

"...Alright. I did say. Just not the face, please, I have a reputation to uphold." I stared at him for a moment as he shoved his hands in his pockets, signifying a gesture that he wouldn't try to fight back. He was _really_ going to let me hit him?

"...Hm." My smirk only widened as I stepped away, going back for my things.

"Decided to take pity on me?"

"Actually, you never said I had to cash in on it immediately." I said before pulling open the front door. "Now, can we _please_ get today over with?" He stared at me, disbelief and intrigue crossing his features before he stepped from the kitchen and loomed over me.

"...You are something else." Was all he muttered before stepping out the door and flowing down the stairs. That's the second time he's said that, and I'm starting to get the feeling it wont be the last.

I followed in suit, locking the door behind me and following him down to a car: A Tesla. While I _was_ ogling it, I wasn't the least bit surprised he owned one. I imagine that _all_ of the Mikealson family owned cars much like this one.

"M'lady." Klaus mused as he opened the car, gesturing for me to get in.

"Wow. A gentleman. How unexpected." I teased as I got in the car. I could feel the eye-roll as he shut the door behind me. He got into his seat rather quickly before speeding off, jolting the car forward quickly. It was exciting, I'll admit, but no doubt he was impressed with himself for sending jitters through me. I cast a quick glance at him, finding him doing the same to me and raising an eyebrow.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You look... Different. When you're not at work." He said. I took a moment to analyze his comment, deciding he wasn't being condescending. Maybe... surprised?

"Is that a bad thing?" I inquired, tilting my head slightly. He looked over at me once more before turning his attention to the road.

"No." He said before a very small smile creeper into his features. _What is that about?_ I narrowed my eyes at him before turning out the window. The scenery went by relatively quickly, and before I knew it, we were pulling up to a little cafe and parking. I looked over at Klaus in confusion, but he was looking at his phone.

"...Yeah, this is where she said to meet her." He said before looking up and scanning the area. "Of course, she's still not here yet." He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he leaned in his window.

"Is this typical?" I asked.

"Yes and no." He said flatly. I waited for him to say much else, but he only stared out the window, looking annoyed. I rolled my eyes with a grin and began to step out of the car. "Where are you going?"

"I'm getting something to drink instead of moping in here." I smirked at him before shutting the door and heading inside. I heard his car door shortly after and a huff of irritation escaped him. "Do you want anything?" I asked him as we approached the counter.

"...What?" He seemed puzzled.

"...I said-"

"I heard you." He shook his head slightly. He turned to the barista and named off something from the menu. Then she turned to me.

"Uh... I think a lemonade for me." And before I could get my wallet out, he was swiping his card, smiling and thanking the cashier.

"I was gunna..." I gaped up at him.

"Don't be daft." Was all he said before leading me to a table. He pulled his phone out, typing something quickly before holding it up to his ear. I realized, he was probably trying to get a hold of Rebekah. We received our drinks shortly after when he finally got her to pick up.

"Where are you?"

 _"I'm out front! Where are you?"_ I could hear her on the other end from here.

"We're in the cafe, having a break, waiting around diligently." He gave a huff, again, with a hand gesture to go with it.

 _"Oh?"_ Rebekah sounded amused.

"Hush." He said quickly. "If you want this coffee that I got you, you better come inside."

 _"Bribing?"_ She mused before he clicked the phone off and shoved it into his pocket.

"Sorry she's running so behind." He sighed, taking a sip of the large cup he'd purchased.

"Did you buy that for her or not?" I said with a raised eyebrow. He chuckled.

"Both. Rebekah can't drink a whole one to herself."

"...Huh." I said, leaning back in the seat with my lemonade. _Klaus, A thoughtful brother?_ I thought as I sipped away. He tilted his head slightly.

"Discover something?" I paused my sipping.

"Yep."

"Care to share?"

"Nope." And he left it at that, although I could see his eyes searching mine for an answer, but all I gave him was a smirk as Rebekah came in the door.

"I'm so sorry, darling!" She said as she plopped between Klaus and I. "I can't believe how late I'm running." She snatched up the drink Klaus had in his hand and chugged half of it before setting it back in his hands. "Thank you, Nik." She said with a grin. He replied with eye-roll as he sipped at the less weighted drink.

"So, What are we doing... exactly?" I said, flicking my eyes from Klaus to Rebekah.

"Well, we're going to go dress shopping, and then hair and makeup afterwards. Seeing as it's down the street, I don't believe we'll be needing a chauffeur until _later_." She looked over at Klaus with intent, and he raised his hands.

"I think I'll skip out of girls day." He said, polishing off the coffee and tossing it in the trash behind him as he stood. "Call me when you're done." He grinned. If anyone had been paying attention, they would've seen the quick look he gave me before scampering off, the phone already to his ear. Luckily, I _was_ paying attention, but it didn't give me any answers to my confusion. Before I had much time to contemplate, Rebekah was standing and ushering me along.

"We'll get a snack after we get the dresses." She said as she pulled me out of the door. I felt a little uncomfortable with the idea of being dolled up. I eyes where Klaus had parked, noting that he was still there, the engine rumbling very quietly. I secretly hoped he'd save me, but I doubted even _he_ could stop his sister.

 _-A Few Hours Later-_

"C'mon, then. Let's see it." A voice called to me through the door. I stood in front of the mirror, analyzing myself after the entire process of "making me pretty" had been set in stone. I had, what was apparently considered, a full face of makeup, which was nothing that I was used to doing on myself. I tended to stick to something more simple, whether it be because of laziness, or it was just easier than redoing it 4 or 5 times. A necklace hung around my neck, accenting my collar bones as well as adding a special touch to the dress Rebekah had so promptly picked out.

I didn't look like myself, but at least I felt nice.

"...I don't know." I laughed nervously, tucking freshly curled locks behind my ear as I scanned myself once more.

"It can't be all bad. Let me see!"

"I don't recognize myself." I shrugged. "Is this... What I really look like?" I turned to look at my back, which was exposed due to the low cut, backless dress.

"I merely wanted to bring out the assets you already have, Love. Nothing more. Do you not like it?" She sounded disappointed.

"No, no. It's... Ah... Just different." And that was true, at least. "Maybe just some getting used to. I... assume I'll be having to get used to this?" All the responded with was a chuckle, and I had my answer.

"Now let me see it! I'm _dying_ here!" I sighed, turning to the door and unlatching it. I pulled it open and stepped out into the light. She was silent for a moment before she broke out into a huge grin, jumping up from her chair to approach me. "Tassryn, you look _gorgeous_!" She beamed.

I felt nervous.

"Everyone's going to stare at me."

"You're kind of the point of the party. Wouldn't they stare anyway?" That was true. I sighed.

"Okay. For real, though. I look alright?" I looked down at myself again. "I don't look awkward?"

"Not at all, silly girl." She batted my hair a bit before taking my hand. "Now, it's almost time for dinner. Let me call Klaus." I stopped, to which she turned to look at me, phone in hand. "What?"

"...Nothing." I said, and she tugged me along again, speaking into the device when Klaus answered. The truth was, Klaus was going to see me like this, and I didn't know how he would react. Honestly, I wasn't prepared for _any_ reaction, not limited to, but including, the _entire Mikealson family._ I heard her mention to Klaus that we were ready and didn't hear much else. Rebekah turned to me.

"Darling, you look like you've seen a ghost." She said as she paused in the middle of the shopping center. "Are you alright?" I nodded, but on the inside, my nerves were shooting through my brain, wrecking the stable house I'd built up there. She led me to the counter to acquire our things and pay for the services. When my purse was handed to me, I reached in to grab my wallet, then looked up to find Rebekah paying for it.

"...I could've gotten mine."

"Don't be daft." She waved it off, tucking her wallet back into her own purse. The statement was a family trait, apparently. I shoved my wallet back into my purse. She pulled me, and our things, to the bench and sat me down, plopping next to me as she held my hands. "Listen to me... You have nothing to be nervous about. The family you've met adore you, and if you ask any one of us, we'll help you. _Especially_ Elijah." She smirked slightly. "Plays the hero part all too well."

"That does sound like him." I laughed slightly.

"And I wont let my brothers bully you. I know all their weaknesses." She seemed really proud of that fact, and I wasn't sure she should be. Nevertheless, it was nice to have her on my side with a good arsenal up her sleeve. I sighed, but less remorse and more determined. "So try to relax."

"Okay... I think I can do this." I said loudly.

"There's my girl." She helped me up before a cough interrupted us.

"What on Earth could be...taking..." The voice trailed off suddenly as we turned to see Klaus staring at us. I swallowed hard as I watched his eyes travel up until we were making direct eye contact.

"Sorry, Nik. Just clearing up some nerves." Rebekah let go of my hands to give her brother a kiss on the cheek; one he was barely paying attention to. "Shall we go?" She urged, looking directly at him. Klaus pulled himself away from looking at me to smile at his sister.

"Of course. My apologies. You look lovely." He then kissed her cheek. He turned back to me for a moment before walking past me. "I'll grab your things if you'd like to follow Becca." And said nothing more. I hadn't the slightest notion what was on his mind, but I couldn't determine if I was offended by his lack of compliments, or worried.

I followed Rebekah before my thoughts could wander.

She pulled the door open and, with a little maneuvering, climbed into the back without flashing anyone, flopping into the roomier seat as she got into the car herself. Shortly after putting our things in the trunk, Klaus got into the drivers seat, taking a moment to give Rebekah a hard stare.

"What?" She mused, although I was unable to see her face to catch the expression she used. Klaus then started the car, jolting off again and damn near giving me a heart attack. Somehow, the silence in the air was _not_ comforting.


	7. The Party: Part 2

"We're here." Klaus said as he parked the car. I found myself plastered to the window, staring at the _mansion_ no one had warned me about. I mean, I knew they were rich, but I didn't realize a 20 bedroom, 10 bath, swimming pool, and 30 acre yard was included in the dowry. Or maybe I did... But it was still a shock to my senses.

I'd only ever seen such glamour from afar.

Klaus was first out, helping Rebekah out of the car, and then myself after. I was still gaping at the house as I took a few steps towards it. Rebekah hooked her arm in mine and forced me to look at her.

"Don't worry, Darling. My mother is just eccentric. Don't be nervous." She entwined her arm in mine before turning to look at Klaus. "Should we leave her things in the car?"

"That's fine. I'll likely be driving her home later, as you'll be passed out." I turned to see Klaus smirking at his sister who, out of the corner of my eye, was gawking at him.

"How rude!"

"And yet, I'm not wrong." Rebekah huffed and turned forward, dragging me along with her. We casually walked up the long flight of steps, past grassy areas on either side, with intricate patterns on the stone railings. I took in the details until we came up on a fountain in the middle, simple considering its size. It looked like white marble, with a single spout at the top, splashing into a very large pool at the bottom, the water clear enough to be a looking glass, even with all the waves. Looking around, there was more, larger parts of grassy areas, with some benches here and there, and some nice flowers, symmetrical on either side of the building. I could only assume, from the snippets of yard I could catch, that the backyard was just as eccentric, if not more so.

"...Wow." I breathed, to which Rebekah chuckled.

"You get used to it." She said quietly.

"...Are you _supposed_ to get used to it?" I grinned as I looked her direction. We laughed as we approached the doors. They were smaller than I had anticipated, but beautifully crafted wood, with an iron frame, and handle. I realized, Mrs. Mikaelson liked a _lot_ of different styles, and yet they completely fit the environment together.

One of the doors swung open slowly, and an older gentleman greeted us, clearly a butler with his suit and tie get up.

"They are waiting in the main room for you." He said quietly after greeting both of us. "Mr. Mikaelson." He said behind us. I nearly forgot he was there, what with all the intricacies to gawk at.

I turned to glance at him over my shoulder, and he looked my way. He gave a small grin and a shrug before looking around, like it was all new to him as well. I chuckled before turning my attention to where I was going. A double staircase greeted us as we paused there in that main hall. It was the same wood that matched the doors, draped in red carpets lined with gold, and griffins heading the railings. A painted portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Mikaelson hung at the top, lining nearly the entire wall, which was tall for a second floor. Rebekah pulled me in a different direction, to the left, and another set of doors were opened by another butler, who quickly moved out of the way.

There was lots of chatter, as there were, what I could count being, four people in the room already intermingling comfortably. One of them turned to us, whom I recognized as Freya, and smiled big.

"Rebekah! Klaus!" She came over and greeted them with a hug for each, then turned to me. "And Tassryn. What a nice surprise." She stuck her hand out to me, which I took.

"Nice to see you again, Freya." We shook, then she took a step back as a man approached.

"Rebekah, my lovely sister." His accent seemed heavier than the two brothers I was accustomed to hearing, but it could've been because it was fresh.

"Kol." She greeted as they leaned in to kiss each other on each cheek. "This is Tassryn." She motioned. He gave a wide, dazzling smile and reached for my hand.

"Pleased to meet you." I said as I took his hand.

"Pleasure's all mine." He mused before kissing mine.

Why was the _entire_ family so suave, and beautiful?

Elijah and their eldest brother, Finn, greeted me the same way, kissing my hand and nodding politely, which was all too formal for my taste, but I grinned regardless.

"Now," Elijah said, taking my free arm and slipping me away from Rebekah, "Where are our parents?" He looked to Finn.

"I believe it's just us for the moment." He replied. "Mother said they would return in time for dinner. Sounded urgent."

"I see." He sighed. I felt all eyes on me, and Elijah made a small noise, causing me to look up at him. "Would you like a tour?"

"...Yes, please." I said quietly. He nodded and looked to the group.

"Make yourselves comfortable. We'll be back." He then lead me out of the room, past Rebekah, who seemed worried, and Klaus, his expression unreadable. He turned and lead me up the stairs before chuckling.

"Don't laugh at me." I groaned, slumping just slightly at the top of the stairs.

"I'm sorry. You're just so tense, considering how ravishing you look." He mused. I grinned slightly, looking up at him.

"You're the first to comment, beyond your sister."

"...Klaus hasn't said anything?" He seemed surprised.

"A few words, but nothing about..." I looked down and motioned to my current predicament. "I think he disapproves." I shrugged.

"Perhaps... There's just a lot on his mind." He motioned to the left flight of stairs as we walked. "When it comes to Mother and Father, he acts... Differently."

"Differently, how?" I inquired as we reached the top step. Elijah paused with a sigh.

"He is Mother's favorite. Always has been. However, Father..." He trailed off before looking to me. "He's worried about your interactions and how that will affect his already tentative relationship with our parents."

"Ah. He thinks I'll rat him out." I laughed slightly, to which Elijah smiled. "I'll admit... Klaus' temper is a handful sometimes, but... I don't think he's all bad." I shrugged gently. "...Does his... outbursts have to do with Mr. Mikaelson?" Elijah's face contorted slightly before he nodded.

"Yes. although, those stories are not mine to tell."

"I understand." I nodded back. Elijah tugged my arm and continued upward. "So, these are mostly the quarters up here, but I thought you might like to see one of the rooms... They're all very similar in architect." He pulled open one of the doors and ushered you in.

It was quite tall, for just a bedroom, with red walls and gold trim, a fireplace in the corner with a couple couches in front, and a bed pressed firmly against the adjacent wall, accompanied by a dresser. There was another door a little further down, which i only guess was the bathroom, and a wardrobe on the other side, presumably for clothes. All the way at the other end of the room was a sliding glass door that led to a balcony, which was white with black railing.

I found myself moving to it, wanting to look outside. Elijah was close behind, pulling the door open for me with a grin. I smiled back before letting myself out.

The backyard was exactly what I thought, and not what I was expecting at all. There were statues, benches, flowers, and fountains everywhere, surrounding a very large, very square pond, that was housing a large fountain in the middle, spewing water from all sides. The colors of the flowers perfectly accented the white walls and stone benches , and it was hard to just take it all in at once.

"I see your enamored." Elijah mused.

"I just..." I stared for a moment longer before turning to him. "This is _really_ your house? Like, I'm not in some prank film?" Elijah let out a hearty laugh before approaching the railing.

"You get used to it after a while." he mused. "It wasn't always this way, you know. Our fame." He grinned down at me. "You wouldn't believe how poor we were."

"You're right, I wouldn't." I laughed, looking back over the yard again, just to take in the details I may have missed. "I guess I can understand why someone would want so _much_ then."

"The luxuries are quite nice," Elijah sighed, "Sometimes I miss the feeling of home, though." He shrugged. "I think, actually, we all do." I looked towards him before placing my hand on his. He narrowed his eyes gently.

"Home is..." I started, giving it a bit of thought before finishing my answer. "Home is where you feel the most comfort. It's where you always feel accepted and never judged. Its never really about the physical place. More... Here." I pressed my free hand to my heart. "You have to find where you feel at peace in here."

"...You're so refreshing." Elijah muttered with a smile. "Thank you." He took my hand and squeezed it with both of his. "I'll keep that with me." I nodded with a grin as he led me back into the room.

The rest of the tour was simple. He explained all the rooms were the same, except for the splash of individuality from each family member when they once lived here. I especially took interest in Klaus' and Elijah's room locations, wondering exactly what kind of things they would hold in their rooms. Glancing at Rebekah's, I had a feeling I could guess what she hid.

He then led me to the second hallway, that would've been the right staircase on the main floor. There was a smaller library, with a reading nook included, which I had anticipated being a lot larger, considering the rest of the house. However, it was quite comforting to be in, so maybe that was the intent. There was an arts and crafts type room, with paints, papers, buttons, and all sorts of small things assorted all over the room. I chuckled at the familiarity of my own craft space.

There were several rooms that had just boxes, or were empty, perhaps from previous children living there and moving out, or just things they didn't want to bother unpacking. There was one room with a piano in it, all the way in the back towards the window, with nothing else. it peeked my curiosity, but we moved from it to quickly for me to ask.

Elijah led me back downstairs and to the right of the main entrance, leading into a ballroom that took up the rest of the under-space from the rooms above. There was a balcony at the far end, and large glass windows to the right, with white curtains flowing delicately over each one. Looking closer, I could see that lights decorated the windows, as well as the ceilings, complimenting the shining chandeliers that were in three, evenly spaced rows across the ballroom.

"...You must have a lot of parties." I said, my voice echoing into the empty room as I slowly wandered.

"Yes. usually, charities, and special family events." Elijah confirmed. "Like Christmas, and various other holidays." I whistled, and it traveled all the way across the room before gently fading out.

"This is... Impressive. Seriously." I turned to Elijah. "I'm sure you get that a lot." He smiled.

"Sometimes. But I'm sure Mother would appreciate the compliments."

"I would." a voice rung out and echoed from the doorway. I turned sharply as heels clicked along the floor towards us. "I did not realized you had arrived... How careless of me to lose track of time." She said as she approached with a smile. I looked her over quickly, as not to be rude. She was a stunning lady, with blonde curls, and a great figure for her age. She wore a beige dress that was flattering, but elegant, with heels to match. They weren't nearly as high as mine, and yet my height still could not reach hers, she was so tall. She stuck her hand out to me, and I took it with the biggest smile I could muster.

"Mrs. Mikealson. It's a pleasure to meet you." I said politely.

"Oh, please." She waved off as she took her hand back. "Call me Esther. Mrs. Mikealson makes me feel... Old." She laughed gently before turning to Elijah. "Hello, Son." She held her arms out to him, and I watched Elijah hug her, kissing her on the cheek.

"Mother." he greeted with a smile. "You look lovely."

"As do you." She turned to me. " _Both_ of you. My, you never mentioned how _stunning_ Miss Tassryn is." i smiled, shifting gently at the compliments.

"Thank you." I nodded. She then hooked her arm into mine, our height difference showing, and began leading me back out of the ballroom.

"Have you met the rest of my children?" She inquired.

"Briefly." I grinned. "Elijah was kind enough to let me look around."

"How thoughtful." She mused. The statement seemed off to me, but I let it roll off of me quickly. This was not the right time.

"Where is Father?" Elijah asked from behind us.

"He is in the dining hall, and sent me to gather all of you." She shot over her shoulder. "Supper is nearly ready." She led us to the room with the rest of the siblings, laughing and greeting with each of them, like she hadn't seen them in forever. It warmed my heart to watch her, but especially Klaus, who had the biggest, softest grin I'd ever seen.

And then it was time.


	8. The Party: Part 3

_*Writers note: Whew! This one turned out waaaay longer than the first two.. woops! This chapter contains more dialogue than the first two, and -hopefully- I've captured the interactions well. enjoy!*_

* * *

Everyone followed Esther into the next room, which was the dining room, smiling as they talked to each other. I made to move, and noticed Klaus hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath as the smile faded from him.

"...Hey." I said. He snapped his head over to me, almost forgetting I was there, it seemed. "Are you okay?" I asked, stepping up to him.

"Of course." He said quickly. I stared at him for a moment before shaking my head with a grin.

"Fine." I hooked my arm in his. "Then escort me in." He stared for a moment, his Adams apple bobbing as he swallowed hard before turning to the room. Everyone was still taking their time, mostly, getting in, and before I could move, Klaus leaned down to me.

"My Father and I..." He said quietly. "...Our relationship has become more rocky since my Grandfather's passing." I looked up at him and he sighed with a weak smile. "So being in his company is not always... Pleasant." He confessed. I patted his arm.

"Relax... You're family is here." I smiled. "Worst case scenario, you can poke fun at me until you feel better." He snorted, relaxing a little as he laid his hand on mine and straightened himself.

"I'm so _glad_ I have you to fall back on." He mused. I rolled my eyes, but knew, silently, he was grateful. He took a slow breath and slowly we walked into the dining hall. No one had seated yet, as they were still conversing, and I noticed Mrs. Mikealson leaning against a man I had not seen yet. He was gruff, and older, with a stature that only told me he was a proud man.

I could only assume that was Mr. Mikaelson.

As we entered, his eyes fell on me, then downwards as he inspected me, and then swiftly moved to Klaus, who's hand barely tightened around mine. Out of the corner of my eye, Klaus smiled and led me to them.

"Father," He greeted, "Might I introduce you to the talented Tassryanna." He said before looking towards me. The pedestal he placed me on only sparked my nerves, especially with the use of my full name, but I managed to hold my smile in place.

"It's very nice to meet you." I smiled. Mr. Mikealson held his hand out to me with a smile, and I took it, but instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips.

"You as well, my Dear." He said before letting my hand go.

"I was explaining to Elijah that it was unfair of him not to warn me how engaging she is." Esther said to him with the biggest grin on her face. I took a slow, deep breath, knowing she was poking at something, I just couldn't figure out what.

"Really, Mrs. Mikea- I mean... Esther. You're too much." I managed.

"Don't be so modest!" She grinned. "Isn't she just fetching, Klaus?" Their eyes flicked to him, and, slowly, I let my eyes trail upward. Klaus chuckled.

"She always quite engaging, Mother." And left it at that. I struggled to hide the disappointment of such a simple compliment, but some part of me was grateful he wasn't showering me like the rest of his family. He began to open his mouth to say something else, but a man swiftly stepped in and whispered something into Mr. Mikaelson's ear. He nodded in response, then smiled to everyone.

"Dinner is ready." And then they all began to take their respective seats. Mr. Mikaelson took his seat at the head, with Freya and Finn on either side of him. Then there was Rebekah next to Finn, and Kol next to Freya. Elijah sat next to Rebekah, and Klaus pulled out a chair for me across from her, between him and Kol. Esther sat at the other end of the table, grinning at all her children as the food made its way out of the kitchen area, which was a door slightly hidden behind where the head of the table was. Mr. Mikaelson held no expression as he waited patiently, everyone else gawked as their hunger took over in their eyes.

"Bon Appetite." Esther grinned as she picked up her silverware. Everyone followed in suit, as did I.

The dinner was simple, but elegant, with rosemary chicken, peppered green beans and roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and two dinner rolls, all paired with, what was supposedly, Mr. Mikealsons favorite red wine. it didn't sit well on my pallet with the rosemary, or the garlic, for that matter. I tried not to let it show.

'

"So, Tassryn," Kol said next to me as he was cutting, "Klaus tells us you are very good with Cajun Cuisine." He grinned at me before taking a bite of chicken. I smiled at him.

"Does he?"

"Sadly, I did not get to attend the official interview, but I am dying to know if it was as good as Marcel's." I gently flicked my eyes over to Mr. Mikealson, who was now intently listening to Kol chat me up, and perhaps wondering about my answers.

"Well, hardly anyone could challenge Marcel." I stated simply, to which Kol laughed.

"Is it true that Klaus blew up on the kitchen?"

"Kol." Elijah warned. My eyes drifted to the head of the table, and he was staring back at me. I swallowed hard, but put on a good face.

"Perhaps he wasn't very pleased with my choices, but he held himself together well. He's a professional after all, Kol." and I left it at that, cutting up a piece of my own chicken and popping it into my mouth. I heard a small chuckle from across me, finding a smile placed on Rebekah. I got a small nudge from left of me, and found Klaus smiling as well. _You're welcome, of course._ I thought with a smile.

"And how _is_ the business fairing?" I heard Freya say over the clinking of cutlery.

"Very well." Elijah nodded. "Between the efforts of Klaus, Rebekah, and Tassryn, our staff are more than pleased with their positions. The numbers are coming in better than expected, and our head chef is very decent with budgeting."

"Thanks to Freya." I pointed out with a grin. She leaned over the table with a smile as we looked at each other. "She's a very good consultant, might I add."

"Much appreciated." She mused before turning back to her dinner.

"That is my girl." Mr. Mikealson finally spoke, smiling softly at his daughter. _Ah... The favorite_. I took mental note of that.

"Oh, no more business talk. I want to know more about Tass!" Esther piped in. "I _can_ call you Tass, can't I?"

"Please do." We smiled warmly at each other.

"So, you live on your own?"

"No. my best friend and I share a flat."

"And what does she do?"

"She is an overnight CRNA's direct assistant as she studies under her." I nodded. "A paid internship, which is the last of her medical training before her big test to see if it becomes official."

"Fascinating." Esther grinned before taking a sip of wine. "So no boyfriend at home, then?" Klaus next to me paused at the question abruptly, and Rebekah tried not to choke on her wine. Elijah sighed.

"Mother." He tried to warn, but it was lost somewhere in the table.

"I'm just curious!" She held up her hands. I laughed slightly.

"No, ma'am. No boyfriend." I took a sip of wine and gently set it down. "I was more focused on putting myself through school."

"What school did you attend?" She tilted her head gently.

"Well... I started at a private school in California, before moving here to finish it out, Majoring in Culinary, and decided to get a minor while I was at it. Uh..." I swallowed to wet my throat. "For language."

"Which one?"

"Two, actually... Spanish, and German. I got the chance to study abroad in Germany, and I spent a good chunk of my career in South America. The language barrier was... interesting at times." I laughed slightly.

"My, all that already? You're so young!"

"I... wanted to make sure I was on a good path." I said gently.

"I'm sure your parents are very proud of you!" She grinned. I hesitated, blinking at my plate for a moment before regaining myself and grinning at her.

"I'm sure." I nodded. I felt eyes on me, thinking it might be Elijah, and perhaps Klaus, as he was close enough to see me falter. I cleared my throat gently before speaking again. "I confess, I've actually heard quite a lot about your achievements." Esther quietly laughed.

"It feels like ages ago. I'm just so glad that my family is following in our steps. Right, dear?" She raised her glass to him, and I watched him follow suit, although he grunted before taking a sip his eyes flicking over to Klaus, followed by me.

"So, this all started as a family business, then?"

"My father's." Mr. Mikealson spoke quickly. "And he passed it down to Elijah." He took another sip of his wine.

"...Only half of it, Father." Elijah spoke up before turning to me. "Grandfather thought it wise he split up the responsibility between Klaus and I, so neither of us would get overwhelmed. I run the numbers." I nodded, but couldn't shake the feeling that there would've been no mention of Klaus in the business if Elijah hadn't said anything.

"And I am more the hands on type." Klaus finally spoke. "But I also enlist the help of Rebekah and Kol, due to the numbers."

"Klaus could run it all by himself, if he so wished." Rebekah spoke. "I think he just likes to include his favorite siblings in his projects."

"Perhaps." Klaus smiled as he took another bite. It was silent for a few moments as people ate a few bites before Kol spoke up again.

"So... Your lack of accompaniment, then. Does that mean I get to take you on a date, Miss Tass?" Nearly the entire table groaned at his question, while Esther simply sighed. Mr. Mikaelson said nothing.

"Flattering, Kol, but I believe I'll be otherwise engaged." I mused before taking the last few bites of my food. There was a couple chuckles as Kol sighed in defeat.

"I had to try."

"To no one's surprise." Elijah grinned.

"Well at least _I'm_ trying, _Brother_." The snark was laid on thick as he and Elijah looked up at each other.

"That's quite enough, Kol." Mr. Mikaelson warned.

"Sorry, Father. Elijah." Kol basically shrunk into his seat and began eating quickly. Dinner was mostly silent then, save for a few awkward glances at each other across the way, and the knives gliding across the porcelain plates.

"Well, then." Esther said as she laid her silverware down. "Who's ready for dessert?" Nearly everyone piped up in agreement as she stood and made her way to the kitchen. Klaus leaned over to me and grinned.

"I may have mentioned something about being curious about her most prized dessert..." He mused. I grinned up at him.

"Sly dog. Elijah's favorite?" He nodded.

"Although, I'm curious how you know that." I shrugged, smirking.

"I bribed him." I fibbed, but Klaus seemed amused with the statement.

"Do tell."

"Oh, no, no, Klaus. A magician _never_ reveals her secrets." We laughed together.

"How unfair... I'm dying to know your tricks." He then pulled himself away as Esther came back in with a few handmaids behind her, all carrying plates of pie that they set around the table for us. Esther sat as the handmaids took away the empty dishes then scurried off to the back.

"Now, before everyone eats," She said, holding her hands up to the table, "I want to know what Tass thinks." I chuckled nervously, picking up my fork.

"Well, you already had me at _pie_." I got a few laughs out of that. I scooped up a piece of it on my fork and took it into my mouth, noting that everyone was watching me. I laughed slightly, holding my hand over my mouth and sighing. I chewed and swallowed, noting how creamy it was, and the hints of chocolate that came out with each chew. "If this isn't the best pie I have _ever_ had, honestly..." Esther cheered and everyone clapped, like it was some kind of weird ritual, but I found myself laughing anyway. Then, they all began to dig in, praising their mother for a job well done, as per usual, and I joined in the quickly eating of the dessert in front of me.

A phone call rang out, and everyone's heads turned towards the head of the table. "Dear?" Esther seemed to warn, but he held up a finger as he answered.

"Make it quick." he warned over the phone. There was a moment of silence as he listened before humming some sort of agreement. "I guess it can't be helped." He then hung up the phone and looked to his wife. "Apparently we're needed."

"...If you're sure." Esther sighed. Everyone stood, and I struggled to get out of the seat myself. "Sorry this gathering was so short, my dears. Duty calls." She gave all of her children a hug before approaching me with her arms wide. "It was very wonderful to meet you, Tass." We hugged briefly, but tightly, before she broke away and approached her husband, the two interlocking arms and striding off quickly, disappearing near instantly. There was almost a sigh of relief in the room.

"Father seemed... Pleasant." Kol managed.

"There was company." Klaus said as he approached me. "...Thank you." He was genuine, which gave me a jolt of feelings I couldn't deduce just then, but I smiled.

"Of course." I replied.

"Shall we retire into the lounge then?" Freya suggested.

"I think I'll be taking my leave." It was the first time Finn had said anything the entire dinner, but everyone bid him goodnight as he, too, silently slipped out.

"I believe I will as well." Kol grinned as he approached me. "I have a plane to be on in an hour. It was lovely to meet you, Tassryn. Let's do it again soon." He snatched my hand and planted a kiss on it before taking his leave as well.

"It's getting late for me as well." Elijah sighed. "I have to interview for a chef for the L.A. restaurant... _Again._ " he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "No matter how hard I try, no one ever fits there."

"You'll find someone." Klaus grinned. I nodded in agreement. He smiled and nodded at us before saying his good nights and walking out casually.

"I'm afraid the party's been broken up." Klaus said to Freya. "Sorry, Sister."

"No matter." She shrugged slightly, walking over to us. "I have some studying to do. Be safe on your way home, Tassryn." She said to me as she squeezed my hands.

"She'll be in good hands." Rebekah mused, patting Klaus on the back. He rolled his eyes. "I'll take my leave as well." That's when Klaus flicked his head over to her, his expression confused. "I'll see you soon, Dear." She said to me before she and Freya stepped out of the room, Leaving Klaus and I to our own devices.

"...Well." I cleared my throat. "I suppose I can go home then." He looked down at me and smiling.

"...And miss the best part of the tour?" He offered his arm to me and, intrigued by his words, I took it. He led me to the Ballroom, and took an immediate left, pushing through a door on the far wall that led into the backyard. It was getting relatively dark, so it was hard to see anything, but I could hear the splashing of the fountains not far.

"Wait here a moment." He said before detaching himself from me and walking off. I could barely hear his footsteps when lights finally clicked on, lighting up the place with a soft white glow. It was astonishing, especially against the night sky. I took a few steps towards the pond with a grin plastered to my face.

"What did I tell you?" He mused, hooking his arm back in mine. "Best part."

"This is..." I breathed, unable to fully comprehend the view. "Can we get closer to the... lake?" I questioned, to which he smirked.

"If you'd like." He seemed amused by my statement as he led me towards the water. I leaned over slightly at the edge, the water glistening from the lights underneath, evenly spaced on the entire wall around the fountain.

"Wow." I grinned, looking around once more.

"Can I ask you something?" Klaus spoke up suddenly. I turned to him, cocking my head.

"...I don't see why not." I shrugged.

"I'd like to inquire about your... _reactions_ to the mention of your family." I bit my lip slightly, looking towards the water.

"...So you noticed."

"I did." He grinned. "Their relationship to you is complicated?" It was a statement as well as a question.

"...Yes." I looked out over the water with a sigh. "We don't speak."

"My apologies." He shrugged. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, it's alright." I said before unhooking my arm from his. I began wiggling my feet out of the shoes, tossing them in the grass next to me as I did.

"...What are you doing?"

"They're uncomfortable, and I want to put my feet in the pool." I huffed before plopping down at the edge and sliding my feet into the cool water below. I groaned as they immediately soothed my aching feet. " _Oh, thank god._ " Klaus laughed next to me as he sat.

"You could've mentioned to Rebekah they were unpleasant." He mused.

"And watch that glowing face diminish? You of all people should know better."

"Touche." There was a few moments of silence as I splashed my feet around in the pool before Klaus was suddenly next to me, dipping his feet in as well. He had been pretty quick about discarding his socks and shoes, rolling up has pant legs so they wouldn't get wet. I grinned at him.

"I didn't take you for a water person."

"On the contrary, I rather enjoy being rebellious."

"...So I shouldn't be doing this?"

"No."

"Why didn't you say anything!?" I raised my voice slightly, but was still smiling.

"It's far more entertaining seeing what you're going to do." I groaned.

"You're impossible." I sighed.

"If I was _so_ impossible, then why are you here?" That question had a more serious tone to it, and I turned to look. He was staring right at me, the smile slowly wavering.

"...Elijah invited me." I shrugged. I smirked when his expression became confused, and shook my head. "No, I... Maybe at first, it was because Elijah near _begged_ me to go, to please Esther." I looked back out towards the water. "But I saw the way you were before we went in to see your Father. It reminded me a lot of my own problems. I thought... I thought you'd like someone with you, who understood, from an inside perspective." I leaned forward to stare into the water. "It took away my nerves, focusing on being there for someone, rather than myself."

"...You did all that? For me?" I nodded, grinning over at him.

"We are friends, after all." He stared at me for a while before looking towards the water. Maybe... He didn't know what to say? I cleared my throat slightly. "What happened? Between you and him? That is, if you don't mind me prying." He grinned slightly.

"I'll tell you... If you tell me what happened to you and your parents."

"That's.. fair." I admitted. "...When I was young, long before I went to the private school, I was being pushed to do lots of things." I gripped the edge of the pool slightly. It'd been a long time since I talked to anyone about the subject. "Private studies... lessons in different musical instruments, various art classes, dance, and on top of that, I was pushed into a higher academic course during _regular_ school. They wanted the best, so that they could shape me into being the best." I took a deep breath and was silent for a moment.

"Don't push yourself." His voice was soft, but he actually sounded like he cared, which soothed a bit of the anxiety rising from the conversation.

"I guess that's why I was so used to pushing myself to _do_ so many things. The high stress of it was familiar, and I could do it, especially when it became a subject of my choosing." I grinned slightly. "That's where it went wrong. They wanted me to be successful like them. They were hoping to groom me to take over the family business, _and_ be a protege of sorts. I... snapped. On that day, they took me to a house I knew nothing about, and was told in a week's time, I was going to be married to some... _guy_ who they wanted helping me in the long run. They had been planning for _years_ with this other family, and decided to spring it on me, on top everything that was already happening." I felt a tear stream down my face, but didn't bother with it. I shut my eyes.

"It was the first time I ever talked back... I still hear _all_ of them screaming at me about how ungrateful I was, and to 'suck it up'. I still feel the my mother's hands on my face..." Suddenly arms wrapped around me and hugged me tight. It was oddly comforting, as we were barely friends now, but it was warm, and firm, and I found myself hugging back, my hands gripping tightly to his suit jacket, willing myself not to start sobbing there.

"...I didn't realize it was so bad." Klaus said quietly. "You certainly didn't have to share that with me. I shouldn't have pushed you."

"It just came spilling out." I confessed. "I guess I felt... I could share it with you."

"...Well, Thank you." I could hear the smile in his voice. "What got you into cooking, then?" We pulled away from each other and I sniffled with a laugh, wiping delicately at my eyes in hopes that I didn't smear the probably running mascara.

"After I ran away, my Nana took me in. She was kind of the black sheep of the family, so it worked out for the best. She is the _best_ cook in the entire world, and truly inspiring... Also, she's a scary Spanish lady." We both laughed.

"You still talk to her?"

"Regularly. She yells about how far I am from her. 'Mija, when are you coming to visit!? How can I cook for you if you are so far?' things of that nature." I mocked her Spanish accent with a grin. "She's terrified of planes, so I have to go visit her."

"Well, she sounds wonderful. I'd love to meet her some time." He grinned.

"Oh, she would _dote_ on you. You're skinny, so her immediate goal would be to fatten you up." He laughed.

"Interesting... Are my chances good?" He smirked, raising his hand to his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Is she single?" I shoved his arm.

"Oh, I forgot, I was talking to _Kol_ apparently." I teased. He pulled his hand to his heart.

"Ouch!" He he exclaimed. "I suppose the insult is worth you smiling." He sighed, to which I rolled my eyes.

"Well, _now_ it's your turn!" I poked. "Is your story as horrific as mine?"

"Mm..." He hummed, leaning on his knees. "I'll give you a shortened version." He nodded. "It didn't start out well. There was a lot of gaps between him and I. He believes in the power of self strength, which, growing up, I didn't have a lot of." He looked to me for a moment. "He was old fashioned then." He looked back to the water. "When I didn't learn something quickly, or I failed to meet any kind of expectation, it was a lashing. Or a yelling. Sometimes both. Other times he'd send me away to Grandfather's because he 'couldn't stand the sight of me'. It became worse as I got older, and his expectations for me became steep. A lot like you, my studies were heightened, and extracurricular was a must. I struggled to keep up with my siblings." He leaned back into the grass with a sigh.

"Things became worse recently for two reasons. Firstly, I am _not_ of his lineage. I am the constant reminder of my Mother's unfaithful tenancies." He shrugged slightly. "None of which was my fault, but he resents me in place of Mother. Secondly, as to add insult to injury... What he _didn't_ say was the the business was left to _me_ , because Grandfather could not bear to see it run into the ground by Mikael." he looked to me with a sad smile.

"I begged him to give it to Elijah, or Freya, but he said he'd only trust it to me. So when he died... I kept my word. I keep the main share of the company, but I asked for help. No one would follow a spoiled brat with a temper. They all agreed, but..."

"You're scared they resent you for being life-locked into this?" He was silent but nodded. "I think they worry for you. If they really hated it, they wouldn't help at all. And the way Elijah talks about you..." I trailed off, noticing Klaus' eyes light up. I laughed. "Well, he's not always _thrilled_ with you, but I can tell he would never let you drown." Klaus nodded.

"That's probably exactly right." He laughed.

"I'm... Sorry. That you have to go through that." I grinned apologetically. He grinned back at me.

"You as well." He then patted himself and stood from the pool, picking up his shoes, as well as mine. "Shall I take you home then?" I nodded, pulling myself away from the water. We walked silently to his car through the grass, and he opened the door for me upon arrival.

The drive home was uneventful as well. I wondered for a moment, if he was soaking in everything we talked about, or if he was just tired. I turned to say something when he spoke up.

"About what you said earlier." He stated as he waited for a stop light to turn green. "At the table... You could've said anything. You could've spurted out the exact words of my rage to the table, but... You didn't. In fact, you made me look better than I am. I don't know why, seeing as I'm not your favorite person in the world." He laughed quietly as the car gently pulled forward. "For whatever your reasons were, I owe you more than a punch from my words yesterday."

"...You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you might actually be a decent person." I teased, to which he snorted.

"You are making me regret being nice to you." He said, but by the grin on his face, I knew he was only joking.

"Not so hard, is it? Being nice?" He shot me a warning glare, to which I laughed. "I'm kidding!" I grinned, to which he shook his head.

"...mething else." I barely heard the last snippet of his whisper, as he was facing the window as he turned onto a different street, possibly mumbling to himself.

"What?"

"Nothing." he said louder. He parked between two cars, nearly directly in front of my apartment, and began to get out.

"Klaus, you don't-"

"Hush." He said, shutting the door behind him. My door swung open as he helped me out. "Besides, you'll need an extra pair of hands for all the things in the trunk."

"All the things? I didn't bring..." I trailed off, my brain wracking as to what could possibly be so much that I couldn't carry it myself. Klaus smirked slightly, and it clicked. "...Rebekah."

"Afraid so."

"No wonder she was so quick to pay. How much did she get?"

"A few boxes worth."

"A few- Good god, I could strangle all of you." I groaned as he popped the trunk, the smirk never leaving his features.

"Rebekah likes to spoil her friends. Especially when they are girls. You should know: She fully intends to dress you up, probably con you into going places with her."

"I regret agreeing to this event." I sighed, reaching in the back seat for my purse and pulling my keys out. "Now I have to act all formal, and wear dresses far too short for me." I snagged the shoes as well.

"Too short?" Klaus grinned, leaning against the car and looking me over. I felt a hitch in my throat until he spoke again. "You look fine, Love. Really. The dress is flattering." He then moved to start unloading the car. I cleared my throat before turning quickly and going up to unlock the apartment. he quickly caught up as I was fiddling with the lock, finally just jolting it open with force.

"Sorry, it gets stuck sometimes." I said as I ushered him in. "Uh... Just... Set them by the couch." I waved to it as I set my things on the kitchen counter. I heard the gentle thud of the boxes and his footsteps against the floor as he ventured outside again. quickly, I made to put on some suitable shoes, but he was already up with more boxes.

"Last ones." He said, setting them down as well. He nodded as I blew raspberries towards the four boxes she surprised me with.

"Well... Thank you. Please maim Rebekah for me." I grinned.

"You can do so yourself on Saturday, which I will be present to witness." He mused as he made his way towards the door. I followed, prepping myself to close it when he left. He stood with his back to me for a moment before huffing and turning to me. "Would you... care to get coffee tomorrow?" I raised my eyebrow at him.

"...Are you trying an attempt at asking me out?" I teased. "I think Kol did a better job."

"Ouch, again." He laughed. "It must be _dreadfully_ amusing to stoop me to such a level." He shrugged, taking a step closer to the door. "Actually, I was thinking my new friend and I could get better acquainted, seeing as now we've both shared some _extremely_ personal affairs." He leaned against the door frame. "And, if you don't mind, I'd like to redeem myself." I nodded.

"...Alright. Game on." I smiled. "But, not coffee. I dislike coffee."

"Tea it is then." he grinned, pushing himself away. "I'll call." I nodded, and then he disappeared from sight behind the secondary door. I listened as his car drove away before gently clicking the door closed.

"I _hope_ it's a date." a voice rang out behind me. I jumped as I flipped around, about ready to kick someone, and was relieved to find my roommate standing there, her arms crossed over her chest and the biggest grin on her face.

"Jesus, you scared me. I about had a heart attack." She laughed as I was trying to get my heart to stop pounding its way out of my rib cage.

"He was _attractive_. Girl, I'm impressed."

"Wha-? N-no, it's not like that... H-he's my boss! We're just... Friends. That's all!" I felt my face getting hot as I turned away, going directly for the boxes as a distraction tool.

"You're boss!?" She near shrieked. "Oh, _honey_ , get that in the _bag_ before someone else does!" The chuckle she let out was dark, and clearly lined with intrigue. I flipped around.

"It's not like that!" I said again.

"You're beat red, girl." She wiggled her nose in the way that I hated; Like she thought she was winning the conversation by pushing all the buttons. I raised my hands to my face.

"You're embarrassing me! There's really nothing going on, I swear..."

"Do you like him?"

"Absolutely not!" I answered quickly before turning back to the boxes. "If anything, I like his brother far better." I said before I even realized what was coming out of my mouth. I paused with a box in hand.

" _Oh?_ " I knew she was grinning wildly. _Oh, boy_. I thought as I closed my eyes.

"That's not what I meant!" I huffed.

"So, he has a brother?"

"...Three, actually. And two sisters. One of which splurged on me when we went shopping earlier today."

"She bought you _all_ that?" She said as she came over to pick up a box herself. We then transported them to my room. I flicked on the lights while haphazardly holding the box before just letting it flop on my bed. "They sound extremely nice. And resourceful."

"Extremely." I turned to her.

"...THAT'S what you meant by dinner! At their house!? Did he take you!? You better spill _right now_."

 _What did I just get myself into?_


	9. A Friend

I woke up to my phone ringing noisily next to my ear, vibrating across the mattress as it did. I grumbled, grabbing for it.

"Hello?" I answered groggily into the mic, rubbing my eye with my free hand.

"My apologies. I didn't realize you'd be asleep at this hour." Immediately I perked up at the sound of Elijah's voice, nearly sitting straight up in bed. I cleared my throat, willing myself to calm down.

"Ah, no... It's fine. I should, uh... What's up?" I laughed slightly, my words jumbled. He chuckled.

"Would you be so kind as to accompany me today?" He sighed slightly. "I am... Attempting the interviewing process for the L.A. location today."

"Oh..?" I was confused, taking a moment to think about why he would need to call me just to tell me that. A few moments later, I came to the realization.

"I was hoping you'd come over and help me sort through them?" He mused.

"You want me to conduct the interviews, you mean?"

"...I suppose there's no need to beat around the bush about it."

"It's fine." I laughed, pulling the blankets off of me and stretching out my legs. "You could just ask. I'm not apposed to helping."

"Are you sure? If you have other plans, please disregard my request."

"No, no plans." I stood and began sifting through my clothes, trying to decide what to wear. Probably something comfy. Unless it was over something like skype... Maybe business casual? I huffed before eyeing the boxes I had stacked in the corner, full of the things Rebekah had forcefully bought for me.

"Alright. I will send Charles your way, but please. Don't feel the need to rush."

"Oh, so this is a _leisurely_ interviewing process?" I teased. He seemed to snort on the other end.

"Quite the comedian. I'll be seeing you shortly, then." Click. I grinned at the phone before tossing it to the bed, determined to find something casually comfy from the box of things.

Around 45 minutes later, I arrived at the steps of a hotel. Slightly confused, I shrugged at my jacket a bit before I made my way inside. I looked around the lobby, but didn't see him there to greet me.

"Miss?" A lady at the desk waved me over, and I obliged. "Are you Tassryn?"

"Yes..?" _Depends on who's asking._ I raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Mr. Mikaelson said you'd be arriving, and to send you up." She leaned over and handed me a key card with the room number plastered across the top. "It's on the 10th floor."

"Ah... thank you." I nodded, making my way to the elevator. I was still confused. He wasn't at his parent's house?

I pushed the button to go up, and immediately the doors opened. Seemed like it hadn't been used in some time. I stepped in and pressed the respective number I needed. Once there, I stepped out of the elevator, only to be greeted by Elijah.

"I hope it wasn't too confusing." He was rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt as he approached.

"No, the hotel was simple..." I confessed. He grinned, showing me the way to the room he was stationed in.

"You're wondering why I'm here, and not at Mother's."

"Yeah." I laughed slightly as he held the door for me. I quickly entered, getting a good view of the surrounding area. There was 2 doors across the way, probably one for the bathroom, and the other for the bedroom. In the main room was a large table, with various paperwork spread across it, some chairs to match the woodwork, a couple of lounge chairs in two of the corners, and a couch along the closest wall, near the two doors.

"Well," He said, stepping around me as the door shut gently behind us, "I didn't want any... Interruptions." He sighed with a grin, sitting at a part of the table that contained a laptop. "My siblings can be quite the handful."

"So I gather." I unwrapped a scarf from my neck and tossed it, as well as my bag, to on of the chairs in the corner. "So... How many candidates are we sifting through?"

"Ten." He said flatly, holding up a couple of the papers, as if to compare them. I sat in the chair next to him, picking up a couple papers of my own.

"And we're doing phone interviews, or something like... Video calls?"

"Either or." He shrugged. "I am not particular. I assume, whatever is adequate for _them_." I nodded in agreement.

"Shall we split them, then?" I grinned. He laughed gently, looking over at me.

"Isn't that some form of... Cheating?"

"Using _me_ is cheating, if you want to get technical."

"Fair." He mused. "Five it is then. How shall we divvy them out?"

"Hm... Ro, sham, bo?" I teased. He shook his head.

"Such a childish way to decide."

"You asked." I shrugged. "Fine. I'll pick five. You can have my leftovers."

"That hardly seems fair." He teased. I scoffed, but grinned.

"Alright. We'll try it a different way. I pick one, you pick one. Will that suffice?"

"Yes, I believe so." He was clearly stalling, making a bit of a game out of the situation.

After a few minutes, we each had our five. I looked over each application seriously, trying to decide whom I might choose first.

"Difficult, isn't it?" He asked. I hummed an agreement.

"I suppose I'll just... Pick one." I set the papers down and mixed them up with my eyes closed. After a moment, I picked one up and looked at it. "This one it is." I picked up one of the notebooks laying about and shuffled to the corner to snag my phone.

"Here, this as well." he said, handing me a piece of paper. I looked at it, realizing it was a list of questions he had written up specifically for this.

"Oh... Thank you." I grinned, sitting at the other end of the table. "And good luck." He nodded at me before picking up one of the applications as well as his phone.

It took about an hour to get through all the applicants, but thanks to the splitting of work, it seemed much shorter. We reconvened to discuss each one, going over things we liked and didn't like.

It came down to five applicants.

"Well, that doesn't help much." he sighed, flopping back in his chair and raising a hand to his face. "I was hoping there would be much less to choose from."

"Well, that's what happens when you have a location in an _extremely_ large city. Especially one that has a lot of talent."

"True enough." He seemed exasperated.

"I assume the second interview will be in person?"

"Yes." He leaned forward and gathered the applications that were rejected and laid them across his keyboard. "Probably in a few weeks. And, after I send the rejection emails to these five." I nodded.

"Should I uh...?" I motioned behind me to the door, silently asking if I was done with.

"Well... I supposed I don't -need- you. However, I was enjoying the company." He grinned, leaning forward slightly. "Might I ask you something?"

"Uh... Sure." I settled in my seat better.

"How long ago did you move here?"

"Uhm..." It'd been a while, for sure. I had to think about it. "About a year ago, I think. Maybe more than that, now. My best friend moved out here some time ago, for the nursing job, and she offered me the spare bedroom."

"And... You've made no friends?" he raised an eyebrow. I narrowed my eyes. It was a bit of a pointed question. He chuckled. "My apologies. That was quite pointed. I didn't mean any offense."

"No, I..." I shrugged slightly. "It's been... a difficult time." I confessed, looking to the table. "The circumstances of my moving here were not pleasant."

"If you don't mind, what happened exactly?"

"I moved up from South America." I sighed, biting my lip. A wave of memories flooded me as I recalled the day I decided to leave. I tried to shake it away, to no avail. "It was a rough month or so, when I had decided I was moving back to America. I wanted nothing to do with my parents, so... That wasn't an option. And, I was being pressured, in a couple different ways, not to leave. The stress, uh..." I rubbed the back of my neck. "Let's just leave it as it was not a good place for me to be."

"Forgive me. I did not mean to rehash bad times." He gave my an apologetic look, and I smiled.

"That's alright. One confessional at a time." I laughed. He tilted his head, confused by the statement, but I waved it off. "Nothing, Nothing... Personal joke."

"Well, jokes aside... Shall I become your friend?" I laughed gently.

"Something tells me you'll be far too busy to mind my business." I grinned.

"Perhaps." He leaned on his hand to look me over, a grin spreading across his face. "Unless you come with me to L.A. Help me out, get to travel a bit." I gawked slightly.

"Aren't you going to be out there a while?" I inquired as I shook my head. -Probably not the first question to be asking-, I told myself. "I-I mean... I shouldn't leave the restaurant for such a long time. And... It _is_ a hefty trip. Shouldn't you take someone like... You're girlfriend?" It was a simple prod, one that I wanted to know.

Not that I was digging for _entirely_ selfish reasons, but in order to become someone's friend, should I not know things about him? His smile faltered slightly as he leaned forward, opening his mouth to say something. Instead, he sighed.

"You're right. Taking my employee- no, my _friend_ , on that sort of trip is... Inappropriate. Forgive me, I'm not thinking straight these days."

"Are you... Okay?" I asked, leaning forward onto the table, concern on my face. He looked at me for a while, his smile falling into something like sadness, or remorse. After a time, he shook it away.

"I will be." He settled.

"If you need someone to talk to..." I offered, but by his change in body language suddenly, I assumed he wouldn't. He gave me a smile, but said nothing otherwise.

He wasn't as all together as he seemed, apparently. I felt a little sorry for him, mostly because it didn't seem like he had anyone to talk to. Did he not confide in his siblings?

Did he not confide in anyone?

"Elijah." I said as he was cleaning up the papers into a neat pile.

"Hm?" He perked up, although not quite paying attention to me entirely. I smiled slightly.

"Elijah!" I pressed. He turned to me.

"Yes?"

"Let's go have lunch." I mused as I stood and made to gather my things. "Take your mind off work for a while. I'll be your friend today." He snorted gently.

"How generous of you." He seemed to tease. I laughed slightly, but ushered him to join me. Reluctantly, he rose from his chair and followed, grabbing his suit jacket from a nearby chair and draping it over his shoulder.

Friends.

I liked the thought of that.


	10. October Foolery

The get together with Klaus went well. At first, the talks were slow, and nerve wracking (at least, for me), but after the third and fourth get together, we became easy conversationalists. We've dubbed these little meetings as "tea-time", which was more of a way Klaus found to make fun of me for the amount of tea I could consume in one sitting.

It was a lot.

It'd been about a month since we started having these little shindigs. Sometimes, Elijah or Rebekah would join us. We even had a surprise visit from Kol, mostly to nag us for help about something. Most of the time, it was just Klaus and I.

It was October now, the leaves were various colors of reds and golds, and the weather taking its turn for the autumn. I took the opportunity to dig out all of my sweaters from the closet, to Rebekah's disdain. She forced me shopping, granting me another box (or was it two?) of clothes she thought I'd look good in.

I couldn't lie, she had an eye for fashion.

Today, I dawned a long, green mock turtleneck with black, fuzzy leggings and black boots, mostly because I didn't want to attempt layers out of laziness. I stepped out of the apartment building, taking a deep breath of the chilled air around me with a smile before beginning my trek into town. Klaus would likely be upset about my lack of use of the company car, or even calling him, but I wanted to experience the weather before it got too cold to enjoy it.

It was nice to know, however, how much he cared about my well-being, even in the short amount of time we'd become close friends. He'd even stopped complaining about times I'd insist on paying for the drinks, or even food. He insisted for a week straight that he was fully capable of taking care of it, what with basically unlimited funds at his disposal, but I think he gave up trying to be a gentleman when I would start sneaking the checks.

He smiled more now. He laughed more. We discussed things, even when I could tell that things we talked about bothered him. It was nice that he even cared to listen at all.

He was a much different person than I anticipated.

As if on queue, or maybe getting a tingling that I was thinking about him, my phone began ringing, and I fumbled in my pocket to get it.

"You're late." He mused as I answered.

"I'm almost there." I grinned. "You are such a stickler."

"You said 5."

"I said _about_ 5\. It's 5:03. Get over yourself." I teased. He laughed on the other end.

"Fine, fine. Where are you?"

"A block away... Or so." I looked up at the building closest to me. "Another minute, maybe."

"...You're walking, aren't you?" I could hear the tone of his voice dropping into something more like frustration, seeing as he's told me a million times or so to utilize what I was allowed.

"Don't." I warned slightly, but was grinning. "The weather is _fine_ , and I can't fully appreciate the season if I'm stuck in your car."

"I much prefer you didn't enjoy a season that could be the death of you." He sighed.

"Don't worry, _mom_ ," I mocked with a smirk, "I'll drink some tea and be perfectly able to take care of myself." He grunted.

"You know-"

"Hold that thought. I'll be right in." I said as I hung up on him. Through the window, I could see the audible sigh of his as he slung his arm over the back of the booth, likely annoyed with my aloof behavior. I grinned, stepping into the shop and heading to the one section in which we deemed our favorite: The back of the shop. We were barely bothered there, as everyone who entered wanted to be closer to the heat source. The booth we picked was next to the window, and while it was chilly, it made for a good people watching sight. I slid into the seat across from Klaus with ease, setting my purse down next to me.

"Took your sweet time." He smirked while pushing a cup towards me. I pretended to act surprised.

"For me? You shouldn't have." I smirked, and he rolled his eyes.

"Come now. You think I haven't learned?"

"So the training is paying off?" I said before taking a sip of the tea. It was my favorite, of course: Irish breakfast with a bit of sugar, and whipped cream on top. Klaus gave me a look that I couldn't read, but could guess was probably less than, and I snorted. "C'mon. _Train_ you? Good luck." I laughed and he shook his head.

"You're fiery today." He sighed, slumping back into his seat. I stared at him for a moment before setting down my tea.

"You don't seem like you're enthused to be here." He flicked his eyes over at me and then turned to the window.

"Sorry... A lot on my mind, that's all."

"Care to share?" I asked, leaning into the table. He sighed again.

"We always talk about me." He turned his head to me, leaning into the table. "When do we get to talk about you?"

"What are you saying? you're _constantly_ asking me about what's going on with my day. Now, c'mon... Tell me whats bugging you." He stared at me for a moment before retreating to his tea.

"Elijah and I got into a fight." He said over the cup before taking a sip.

"Oh... What happened?"

"Well, what typically happens when we don't see eye to eye on things?" I bit my lip slightly as I nodded.

"Right. Siblings."

"Right." He set his cup down. "I disagree with the new store's location, but he is... Insistent."

"May I ask why you disagree?"

"I think it's too soon to open up another one, personally. We've only just gotten hold of this one, financially, and he's dropping it right in the middle of our rivalry area." He clenched his jaw slightly as he stared down at the table. "I think something happened recently, but he won't bother to tell me. Pride, or... something."

"...Did you blow up on him?" I raised an eyebrow. The question was clearly not pleasing, as he flicked his eyes up at me, and his expression was pained.

"Well, I was hoping _someone_ would be on my side."

"I'm sorry." I said, reaching over the table to pat his hand. "I'm not trying to pick on you." He groaned before nodding.

"Yes, I _may_ have let my temper flare more than I should have."

"Boys." I grumbled. He glared at me gently, but I smiled. "You're both like dogs. The minute one of you raises your voice, its like a pissing contest." I leaned back in my seat while shaking my head. "Just give it time, Klaus. He probably will take your advice, he's just riled up from the fight."

"...You know, I'm not sure I like being compared to a dog." He tried not to smile while bringing the cup back to his lips. I laughed gently.

"Better than being compared to a cock." I mused, also picking up my tea. I could tell I'd hit a nerve, but the smile crept in as he scoffed.

"You're tongue is going to get you into trouble."

"That's what your tongue is for." I pointed out. I realized my statement as he raised an eyebrow, a wide smirk spreading across his features. "To... make up for..." His smirk only got wider as I failed to save my statement, and only furthering my embarrassment. I audibly sighed, shutting my eyes. "Alright... I walked into that one."

"That you did." He chuckled darkly. A shiver went down my spine, noting that the particular way he laughed just then left an intriguing feeling in the pit of my stomach. I blamed it on the chilly window.

"So," I said, clearing my throat and rubbing my hands across the cool ceramic of the cup before me, "Beyond your fight, how was the day?"

"Cold." He shrugged. "Boring. Mostly paperwork and phone calls. Oh, and this." He reach into his coat and pulled out an envelope, handing it to me. "I was asked to deliver this to you."

"To me?" I looked at it with skepticism before opening it. The letter was from Rebekah, officially inviting me to a Halloween party she was apparently throwing in her Mother's ballroom. At the bottom, is was adamant that I make the appearance in costume, and I sighed.

"What is it?" Klaus inquired.

"A gathering of fools in the den." I let the letter flop onto the table. "Rebekah wants me to play dress-up at her party."

"I may have heard she's throwing one." He shrugged. "Are you going to skip out?"

"Will I hear the end of it if I do?" We both laughed at the thought. "...Suppose I better find a costume then."

"You're going to dress up?" It was Klaus' turn to be skeptical. I grinned.

"You don't think I would?"

"I'm not surprised... More mildly amused at the thought." He grinned over his cup before sipping at the contents. I shook my head at him.

" _Great_." I grinned. "Does that mean I should expect to be ogled?" I teased. His eyebrow couldn't possibly get higher at the prospect of my words.

"By... me?" His expression was stern, but his tone led me to believe he was intrigued.

"You and everyone else there." I grinned. "I imagine you'll be curious as to what I go with. And seeing as how I don't play _any_ form of dress-up, you'll be staring... And making fun of me, I imagine."

"Make _fun_ of you? _Never_." He finished off his tea and set the cup down as the sarcasm poured off of his words. "It's like you don't know me _at all_."

"Hardy har." I rolled my eyes. "I rest my case." I finished my tea as well. He laughed.

"It's in a week, correct?" He asked. I nodded. "Need someone to take you shopping?"

"And get a sneak peak? Absolutely _not_." I laughed. "You'll have to show up at the party to see, like everyone else."

"Ouch. And here I thought we were friends." He mused. The waitress came with the bill, and he picked up the check without hesitation and handed it back to the waitress.

"Ah... Hey! I thought it was my turn." I pouted, to which he gave me a soft smile.

"You're something else, you know that?" He leaned forward onto his hand and sighed. "Well, I'll have to dress up if I show up at this party, wont I?"

"I imagine Rebekah won't be pleased if you didn't."

"Mm." he hummed an agreement. "...It might be fun to make you guess where I am then."

"You really think I wont recognize you?" I tilted my head. "And you think I can't make myself unrecognizable?" I raised an eyebrow to him.

"...I think I'd recognize you anywhere." he said this softly right before the waitress returned with his change, and he quickly distracted himself with returning it to his wallet. I felt a throb in my chest, and decided to put it away to think about later. "I'll take you home."

"I would say I'm fine, but I think you'll nag my ear off." I grinned as we stood from the booth. He shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, which meant I was right. I laughed as he led me out and to his car.

I had one week to figure out what I was going to wear to this costume party, and no idea how I was going to fool Klaus. The mere thought of the challenge made my heart pound with excitement as he drove me home, and I couldn't wait to discuss with my roommate, as well as Rebekah, on the plan of action.


	11. Down With The Sickness

I rubbed at my head slightly with my forearm before trying to focus long enough to get this portion of the prep done, carefully cutting as my vision blurred in and out, trying not to slice open an appendage.

I had felt perfectly fine leaving this morning, and even through most of the shift, but suddenly I'd started to feel extremely unwell.

And on the day of the party, no less.

I finished with that prep and wobbled over to the walk-in to stick my head in it. Was it hot in the building, or was it just me? I took in a deep breath of the cool air when I opened the door, hoping it would alleviate some of my recent symptoms, but to no avail.

"Woah, Chef." Kira came over and eyed me as I turned to her. "The back of your neck is... Holy cow, your whole face is red." She stepped up to me, pressing her hand to my head before grimacing.

"I do feel pretty hot." I agreed.

"More than that. You feel feverish. I think you need to go home." She looked concerned.

"I think... I think I just got some allergies, or something." I tried to wave it off. I took a step to move, feeling myself tipping over.

"Shi-!" I heard Kira say before I was caught by someone. With heavy eyelids, I looked up to find Klaus staring down at me. "Oh, thank God." Kira sighed quietly.

"I'm taking you home." He said sternly.

"Klaus-"

" _Don't argue with me._ " He interrupted, hoisting me up in his arms. I gulped, trying to give my dry throat some moisture, but it was less than helpful. "Kira, will you grab her things for me?"

"Sure." She responded.

"Wait." I breathed. "Put me down."

"Absolutely not. You're in no condition to walk." I shook my head.

"Please... This is embarrassing." I near whispered. He sighed.

"You shouldn't force my hand, then."

"Take her out the back." Kira offered.

"Fair enough." He looked to Kira before I felt him shift and walk towards the back of the restaurant, a locker opening and closing, before they both shuffled me outside. "Kira, will you flag down Charles?" She must've agreed, because I heard her shouting and her footsteps receding.

"...Sorry." I said, burying my face in his jacket to hide.

"You best be." he said softly. "I told you to take care of yourself, and look at you."

"I felt fine earlier. Honestly." I sighed. "It hit me all of the sudden."

"I'm not convinced you didn't just try to push yourself through it." He huffed.

"That does sound like me." I laughed gently. I heard the car tires roll around and he began to shift again, putting me into the backseat as gently as he could, with a little effort on his part. Kira handed me my things once I was inside, and Klaus made to sit on the other side. She bent down to grin at me.

"Get better, Chef, or I'll come after you." She grinned. I grinned back.

"I'll do my best." She nodded before closing the door. The car jerked slightly, and Klaus held my shoulder to keep me upright.

"Honestly." he breathed.

"I don't need you to baby me." I muttered.

"You clearly need _someone_." He growled quietly. "Otherwise, you'd fall prey to all kinds of ailments."

"I was _fine._ " I groaned, holding my hand to my head. I felt my phone buzzing somewhere in the confines of the things on my lap, and I began searching for it. Klaus, however, was quicker, and he snatched up my phone from my jacket pocket, answering it swiftly.

"Yes?" He answered before I could protest. "Ah, no, she's not attending tonight." _Was that Rebekah?_ I reached out for him to hand me the phone, but he waved it off. "I know, but she's not well... Extremely. Yes, I'll be sure to let her know. Goodbye, dear." He then hung up before handing it back to me.

"I'm going to pretend you _didn't_ just answer Rebekah for me." I sighed, stuffing the phone into my jacket pocket.

"I knew she'd be calling you to see if you were off." He shrugged. "She won't whine as much if I personally tell her you're under the weather."

"I'd prefer it if you didn't try to take control of my affairs." I growled as Charles made to stop in front of my apartment.

"Take control? No, I just-" I practically kicked the door open and pulled myself out of the seat, standing up just a smidgen too fast as my body swayed from the dizziness, but it was better than listening to him try to justify his behavior.

"Whatever." I grumbled, slamming the door of the car behind me.

"Tass, stop." He quickly jumped out of the car as I pushed myself up the stairs, the adrenaline keeping me upright.

"No, Klaus. Go home. You've done enough." I typed in my code to be let into the lobby, pushing the door to get inside.

"Just, let me-"

"I said you've done _enough_!" I turned to glare at him, but felt myself give way as my vision blurred, the sudden burst of anger causing me to falter. He snatched me in his arms when I fell forward, struggling to breathe as my head spun. We stood there for a moment before he pulled me into him, assisting me in walking through the entryway to my door.

"Pull out your keys." He sighed. With my eyes shut tightly, trying to steady my head, I fumbled through my purse with my hands until I pulled the keys out, handing them over. "Hold onto me for a moment." I wrapped my arm around his waist, tentatively, and he maintained holding me while jimmying the door open, pushing his way inside.

"Just set me on the couch." I said quietly, to which he obliged. I shoved my belongings onto the other couch, adjacent to the one I was on, and began taking off my uniform.

"Where is your drug cabinet?" He said as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Uhm..." I took a few moments to breathe and think where I had stashed all of my medicine. "Right, Keelin put them in the bathroom... Behind the mirror." I was able to get my coat and shoes off, tossing them over with my other things as well, before holding my head in my hands, the sickness washing over me in waves.

"Here." He said next to me as he sat. He also handed me a glass of water. I sighed, popping the two small, clear blue pills into my mouth and washing it down with the liquid. He took the glass from me. "Now, do you want to explain to me why you're so snappy?"

"I'd rather not." I turned away from him. He responded with a sigh.

"I'm the one who should be mad here." He said. I scoffed.

"Mad? Why?" I shook my head. "Because you have to be right about everything? Because you have to be the one in control, and you're not?"

"Now hold on." He started.

"No, _that_ is why I'm mad, Klaus." I flicked my head towards him. "I'm sick, I get it. I'm not dying. Stop trying to control my surroundings simply because you can't control me."

" _Hush_." He growled, grabbing my arms and pulling me closer to his face. "Now listen to me for a moment. I'm the one who should be mad, because I let your carelessness cloud my judgement on your health." He said lowly.

"...What?" I tilted my head as he let go of my arms.

"I got careless... You're aloof behavior is... Well... I should've been more stern with you." I scoffed slightly.

"Are you for real?" I managed, shaking my head.

"What?"

"Klaus." I tapped him on his arm lightly. "I'm not sick because of you. Nor am I sick because you neglected to boss me around, which I'd like to inform you, I'm not fond of."

"...Duly noted." He said quietly. "However..."

"Its the _weather change._ " I sighed. "And the stress. It always happens right about now. It came a little later in the season than expected. It's in _no_ way your fault, and if you keep blaming yourself, I will suffocate you with the nearest pillow." He laughed slightly.

"If you were stressed, you should've told me."

"Do you give the same treatment to your _other_ head Chefs?" I raised an eyebrow. He made to give an answer, opening his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it, pressing his lips together. "That's what I thought." I nodded.

"But you're different." He tried.

"How?" I sat back on the couch, crossing my arms over my chest. To that, he was silent, only staring at me for a moment before adverting my gaze with a sigh.

"I don't care about any of the other Chef's." He grumbled. I laughed.

"Klaus _cares_ about something? Shocker."

"That was low, even for you." He rubbed at his face. I bit my lip slightly. He was right, that wasn't very fair. For a moment, I pondered on the thought that he said that he cared about me, in his own backwards way. I sighed, picking up a pillow and gently hitting him on the back with it, mostly to distract myself from said thought.

"I didn't mean it." I said. "Thank you for taking me home." He turned his head just enough to stare at me from over his shoulder before smiling, accepting my silent apology.

"I shouldn't _have_ to take you home. Take better care of yourself."

"Yes, _sir_." I rolled my eyes. That dark chuckle rumbled through him, and a chill went up my spine. It's the fever, probably. I cleared my throat.

"I'm going to go change." I said, standing up slowly. "How long are you intending to stay?"

"Is that code for you want me to leave?" He raised his eyes to me.

"No, I was just..." I shrugged slightly. " _Fine._ Do what you want." I crept around him and made my way to my room, walking carefully as not to topple over. I made it into my room, pulling out a pair of sweats and a comfy T-shirt, wrapping my hair up in a bun before changing into the chosen clothing. After inspecting myself in the mirror I quietly stepped into the hall, leaning in the door frame for a moment, looking into the living room as I did so.

Klaus was still sitting in the same spot, but pulled back to lean comfortably on the couch, his arm draped over the back. He had put one of his legs up onto the other and was browsing through his phone, barely paying attention. That made me wonder if he was listening for me to fall, or break something. Or was he trying to distract himself?

I laughed quietly, making my way to the kitchen.

"Do you want tea?" I asked as I pulled cups out from the cupboard.

"I should be asking you that." He said, practically leaping up and bounding towards me. "You need to rest, Love." He took the cups from me. " _Go. Sit._ I can handle this."

"Didn't we just-" I tried to say, but he hushed me.

"I'm trying to help you. Quit being the stubborn one." He said calmly. I sighed.

"Fine. Tea is there." I pointed to the cabinet across from him. "Kettle is there." I pointed down below in the same direction. "I take sugar, and creamer." I turned on my heels and made my way to the couch.

"Creamer in your tea... A true Brit in the making?" He laughed. I grinned as I sat on the couch.

"What can I say? I like tea."

"I'm fully aware of your addiction." He mused. I rolled my eyes, pulling open the coffee table, which doubled as storage, and pulled out a blanket to covered myself with. I also snagged the remote and began flicking through the channels to find something to watch. After a few minutes, he set the cup of tea on the table in front of me.

"Thank you." I nodded.

"Find anything interesting?" He inquired.

"Not really. Do you... even watch TV?" I tilted my head toward him, and he shrugged.

"Mostly, the news. And gossip shows. I want to see what kind of dirt they pull up on me." He grinned.

"Why am I not surprised?" I laughed.

"And what do you like to watch?"

"A little bit of everything, really." I shrugged. "Romance, comedies, documentaries, horror... I do love horror movies. Especially if they are bad."

"Well, that seems appropriate, with Hallow's Eve just around the corner." He grinned.

"Fair enough. A horror movie it is." I searched through the section and we both decided on one of the movies. Klaus promptly dimmed the lights before removing his coat and shoes by the front door. I pulled out another blanket for him, and we delved right into it.

It was cheesy at first, and the quipping between the two of us was on par, making fun of the movie at every turn we could. He made an extremely bad pun, and I pretended to taking popcorn from an invisible bowl and toss it at him. He laughed at the notion.

About halfway through, I made to make a comment to him, but quickly shut my mouth as I discovered him sleeping. I blinked several times, trying to take in the sight of him like this. He was leaning against the back of the couch, his head propped up and he was breathing deeply. He looked relaxed, even though that position couldn't be too comfy. He was vulnerable, and I couldn't help but feel a little flutter in my heart at the thought that he felt comfortable enough to sleep with me around.

I raised my hand, pushing a few hairs from his face. He stirred, making a small noise, and I pulled back quickly, feeling my face get hot from embarrassment. _Why did I do that?_ I practically screamed at myself. After a few seconds of readjusting himself, he flowed right back into sleep, as if nothing had disturbed him. My heart throbbed in my ears, and I was hit with a realization as I watched his chest rise and fall with each breath.

He was quite handsome.

Quietly, and with a gulp, I paused the movie. I pulled his blanket, which had mostly dropped to the floor, and covered him with it the best I could.

Was it okay to leave him there? Should I wake him? I stood and stared down at him for a moment before sighing. He felt comfortable enough to fall asleep there, he must've needed it. I turned the TV off before sneaking away to my own room, closing the door as quietly as I could.

My heart was still throbbing as I got into the bed, pulling the covers close to me.

What was I going to do about this feeling rising in the pit of my stomach?


	12. The day After: Part 1

I woke up to a clatter in the kitchen and groaned gently. Was Keelin attempting dinner? I wiggled in my bed until I was positioned to look at my clock comfortably. It was almost two in the afternoon. I groaned again. Why had no one woken me up?

Slowly, I rose from the bed and pushed the blankets away from me. I wiggled my toes against the wood floors, stretching them out slightly before standing with a yawn. I grabbed a towel and some clothes from the closet before making my way into the hallway, rubbing my eye with my free hand as I did so.

"She's alive!" I heard Keelin shout from the living room.

"Har, har." I sighed, and she laughed.

"How are you feeling?" A male voice called from the kitchen, and I froze in front of the bathroom.

Who was that? Who was here?

I pulled my mind together for a moment to recollect yesterday's events.

"...Klaus?" I called and walked into the living room to view him in the kitchen. "You're still here?"

"Yes." He laughed. "I'm a little embarrassed I fell asleep so easily." I shook my head.

"Needed it more than me, by the looks of it." I laughed. He grinned over at me.

"Well, thank you, I suppose."

"Sure." I shrugged. "I feel fine, to answer your question."

"No fever?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No..." I said quietly. Had he always looked at me that intently in our conversations? I cleared my throat before looking over the counter to see him cooking. "I uh... I thought you said you weren't the resident cooker?"

"Ah, Well... Breakfast is easy." He shrugged, returning his attention to his task.

"And anyway, what kinda guy owns a chain of restaurants and doesn't know how to cook?" Keelin piped up from behind me. I nearly jumped as she took as seat at the bar stool. I had completely forgotten she was there. I felt my face flair up slightly and turned away to try and conceal it.

"I'm simply a businessman who likes good food." He mused. Keelin laughed.

"Yeah, yeah." She nudged me gently. "Maybe our girl here can teach ya." He grinned down at the pan.

"Perhaps." Was all he said gently. I cleared my throat slightly.

"He's usually pretty busy." I shrugged, trying to change the subject. "Speaking of, Keelin. When did you get home?"

"About an hour ago." She yawned slightly. I looked down at her, noting that she had yet to change out of her nursing uniform.

"Long day?"

"The longest." She laughed quietly. "But who can say no to food?"

"True." I grinned. "I'm going to take a shower real quick, and I'll be right out to critique said food." I smirked. Klaus waved a spatula at me with the same look. I laughed before making my way to the bathroom. Quickly, I turned the shower on and stripped my clothing, throwing myself into the hot water.

My brain raced at the prospect of them -chatting- together. About what, exactly? About me? About... life? Small talk?

Small talk was out of the question for both of them. Keelin was often too tired when she got home to make polite conversation, and Klaus was... Well, Klaus. He was hard to talk to, at first.

Yet she already seemed pretty comfortable with the thought of him there. Then again, she _did_ mention she wanted him to take me on a date.

 _Oh, no. No, no, no._ I thought, putting my hands over my ears. She wouldn't have, right?

I'd never been more motivated to get out of a shower quickly before in my entire life than to prevent them from talking about me being a potential prospect to Klaus. As I was washing my hair, another thought came over me.

What if... He _did_ want something like that?

He is out of my league, but...

I paused, trying to swallow my stomach, that had now risen in my throat. That couldn't be a possibility. He's got good looks, and a lot of money. Beyond his temper, he has a good head on his shoulders, and he's smart. Too smart, possibly for his own good. It was rather unlikely he saw me that way, right? Even so... Is that even what _I_ wanted?

Did I _like_ Klaus?

A couple minutes went by as I listened to the pounding my heart in my ears and the thrumming of the water against the bottom of the tub, thinking about some of the weirder interactions we had had together, among some of the times my heart had flip-flopped over the way he said things, or the way he eyed me.

Or the way he _laughed._

My heart sank into my stomach, meeting the butterflies there. I _liked_ him. That much is now confirmed. But what was I going to do about it?

I finished rinsing out my hair, deciding maybe I should talk to someone about it. But who?

Rebekah?

I don't trust how she would react to such news about her brother. Or, on the flip side, she would immediately tell Klaus, in an enthusiastic kind of way. Neither outcome was desirable.

Keelin?

Well... I already know her feelings on the subject, and I'd rather her _not_ try to play matchmaker here. Unless, she already had?

I tried to shake the thought away, until one more name popped into my head, and I took a deep breath as I let the water run over me.

"Elijah." I said quietly. I didn't know how to go about asking him such a question, especially since it was about _his_ brother, as well, but I felt as though we'd become friends enough, he might at least answer me honestly.

 _Maybe if I put it vaguely..._ I pondered, until my thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Breakfast is ready!" Keelin said through the door.

"Coming!" I shouted back and turned off the water. I'd put the idea on the back burner. For now... I had to deal with the problem at hand: Not acting any different around Klaus than normal.

Easy, right?

I dried off quickly and flung on my clothes, dried my hair the best I could before brushing it out. I looked at myself in the mirror for a moment, nodding at my reflection, before stepping into the hall, clothes in hand.

I dropped the dirty mess into the laundry basket in my room before returning to the kitchen, a delicious smell hitting me as I did so. I grinned as Keelin was setting the dining table.

" _Wow_." I mused, smirking at her. "We're eating at the table?"

"We have a guest." She shrugged towards me.

"It's like you remember how to socialize or something." I teased. She threw a fork at me, which I dodged with a laugh. "Keelin!" I gawked.

"C'mon, if I wanted to hit you, I would've." She laughed. I shook my head before turning to the kitchen, Klaus looking a little forlorn at the plates. I walked over to him and grinned.

"Can I help?" He turned to me, almost stunned, as if he hadn't been paying attention, then smiled to try and hide it. He probably hoped I hadn't noticed.

"If you're not busy dodging cutlery." He mused. I rolled my eyes, scooping up a couple of the plates in my hands and walking back to the table, Klaus on my heels with the rest. I set them on the table gently as Keelin took her respective seat: A chair with her name literally engraved into the back. I sat across from her, and Klaus sat at the head of the table.

We all kind of stared for a moment before Klaus laughed gently.

"Sorry, ah..." Keelin shrugged with a grin. "You don't say prayer... or anything?"

"I'm not religious." Klaus shrugged, grabbing for the first plate: Eggs.

"Fair enough." She grabbed for the sausage.

"Can I ask," I said as I grabbed for pancakes, setting a couple of them on my plate, "What sparked the need for this?"

"For what?" We switched the plates between us.

"Breakfast, I think." Keelin pipped in, setting the plate she had down and retrieving several slices of bacon from the next.

"Ah." He said with a chuckle. "Why, you mean."

"Yes, that." I continued to scoop food onto my plate, then proceeded to reach for toast.

"Honestly, I'd fully intended to have you eat in bed." He mused. Keelin snorted, and I shot her a glare. "I thought you'd be worse for wares."

"I said it was allergies. Why does no one believe what I say?" I eyed the both of them, and they seemed to shrug it off. I sighed. "Well... Thank you." I said quietly before taking the first bite. There seemed to be a silence and I looked up to see Klaus raising an eyebrow at me. "What?"

"Well?"

"Oh. Were you... _actually_ expecting me to critique you?" We all laughed as they began to eat as well. "To be fair, in my opinion, it's hardest meal to mess up."

"Oh, so its sub par?" He teased. I rolled my eyes.

"You did well, Klaus." I shook my head. "No need to impress me."

"Or me." Keelin agreed. "I will eat anything."

"It's true. She's got an iron stomach." I confirmed. "I use her to experiment." I grinned. Klaus chuckled at this.

"And how well does that turn out?" He said to Keelin.

"So far, there's only _one_ thing she's made that I could not stomach."

"Do tell!"

"Oh, no, please..." I groaned, knowing the exact story she meant.

"Ever heard of horehound?" Keelin smirked. I snorted, causing Klaus to grin curiously in my direction.

"Alright..." I sighed. "It's an herb. A bitter one. It's supposed to be good for your throat."

"And she put... _so_ much in these little candies she'd made."

"So much." Keelin and I laughed, but the truth was, those candies were disgusting, and it took weeks to get the taste out of our mouth.

"And here I was thinking you were the perfect chef." Klaus teased. I shoved at him gently before returning to my food.

And the rest of the conversations at the breakfast table were that: Klaus asking questions and Keelin raising up embarrassing stories about me. About halfway through, I realized, she was crash coursing him on my life. It took a little while for her to catch on that I'd figured it out, but by that point, Klaus was so cheerful and laughing, I couldn't be bothered to scold her about it.

He was relaxed here.

Strangely, it warmed my heart to know he was comfortable, not just with me, but with my roommate as well, in this small apartment. It felt... natural.

A nerve struck somewhere and I pulled away from the thought process, my burst of happiness suddenly pulling away as the conversation I had with myself in the shower crept in. I tried to shake it off and focus on the food at hand.

"Whew!" Keelin leaned back in her chair with a quick, but loud sigh. "I don't think I could eat anymore." Looking on, I realized she had eaten half her weight, if not more than that, and had cleared most of the table.

"No one asked you to eat it all." I shrugged. She glared at me with a grin.

"Don't make me throw another fork at you." I put my hands up in the air with a laugh.

"Mercy." I begged. She sighed, picking up her plate and taking it to the kitchen.

"I'm going to shower and hit the sheets. Got another long night to go."

"Wait, I thought you had tonight off?" I asked, looking towards her with concern. She shrugged.

"One of the other girls is taking her kid in for something... Flu, I think. Needed it covered, and I'm the only one not working."

"Sorry." I sympathized. She shook her head.

"It's gotta be done." She shrugged. 'Behave, you two." She winked. I made to chide her, but she scurried off before I got the chance. My face flushed slightly, and I cleared my throat.

"Sorry about her." I laughed. Klaus shook his head.

"She's refreshing." He mused. "A long time friend, I wager."

"Correct." I nodded, pushing my fork through the remnants of my food. "The only one who stuck around, really."

"Sorry to hear."

"No, it's okay." I shrugged. "It's better this way. I know who I can trust." I stood with my plate in hand, heading towards the kitchen. "So... You wanna tell me the _real_ reason you decided to cook breakfast?" I shot over my shoulder as I scraped my plate into the trash.

"Was I not convincing enough?"

"I wasn't satisfied with the answer, so... No." I grinned, and even though I was facing away from him, I was sure he could tell I was. I began washing my plate in the sink.

"I felt... Bad." He said before I heard his chair shift, signalling that he was getting up as well.

"For?" I turned as he approached, reaching my hand out for his plate. He handed it to me before returning to the table to grab the rest. "Ah, put those in a container. Keelin will be grateful for the leftovers." I reached into one of the lower cabinets and pulled out some Tupperware to hand to Klaus.

"For falling asleep on your couch." He answered as he gently took the object from me. "It was... Uncouth." His demeanor changed as he walked away, and I couldn't help but feel a pang somewhere in me.

"Klaus." I said. He stopped at the table, but stayed still otherwise. I turned the water off, waving the water from my hands before approaching him. "Is that how you think I feel?"

"Shouldn't you?" He was quiet. I shook my head.

"No." There was silence for a few moments before he turned to look at me.

"You didn't mind?"

"I was... surprised." I laughed slightly. "You must've needed it." He said nothing to this, only staring at me for a few more seconds. "...Don't let it eat you, okay? It's fine, really." I grinned, moving to help him with the leftovers.

He grabbed my wrist, and I paused, my heart leaping into my throat. Slowly, I looked up to his face, trying to maintain my breathing, hoping my face hadn't lit up like the fourth of July.

"Thank you." He said earnestly, looking into my eyes as he did so. I felt a hitch, and the breathing I had carefully worked on was lost somewhere, my heartbeat picking up pace.

"...Of course." I managed. I watched his eyes drift slowly, lowering to my... lips? I gulped, probably far too loud. Hiss eyes pulled back to mine before he let my wrist fall to my side and turned back to the food,a grin spreading as he did so.

"What are you doing today?" He asked quietly as he started pushing food into the container. The question pulled me out of the shock and I took a deep breath before answering.

"Nothing." I blurted out far too quickly.

"Would you mind accompanying me to Mother's?" He asked. "I have a feeling Rebekah might need a hand or two with the... Mess." I watched his head tilt slightly. I clicked my tongue, remembering that yesterday was the themed party we were supposed to attend.

"Right. Yeah. That seems fair. Cleaning up the mess after missing the party." Klaus laughed.

"Touche. Perhaps you should rest, then."

"No!" I grinned. "No, I'll go, if for nothing but to poke at Rebekah's probable hangover."

"Well, aren't we feeling chaotic?" He mused, turning and handing me the full Tupperware container. I shrugged with a grin before turning to the fridge, placing the food in the front, where Keelin would likely see it. "Let's finish up then. By the time we arrive, I'm sure she'll be groaning in the kitchen with orange juice."

"Hangover ritual?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I've grown accustomed to her ways." He seemed to confirm. He took the rest of the plates to the sink and I waved him off before he could start.

"No, no. You're not cooking _and_ cleaning. Well... Everything, anyway." I shooed him away, and he crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaning against the sink.

"Perhaps I'm trying to be nice."

"I know. And it's weird. Stop it." I teased, pushing him away slightly before cleaning off the dishes.

"Is it so weird?"

"Mm... No. You're just being _uncharacteristically_ nice, and I can't tell if it's because you still feel guilty, or because of Keelin, or..." I trailed off, thinking about the moment at the table briefly, and the realization in the shower.

"Or?" He raised an eyebrow. I cleared my throat.

"I haven't figured that one out yet." That statement was true enough. He scoffed.

"C'mon, tell me." Of course, he knew better. I had an idea, but I wasn't sure it was the right idea. Even more, I didn't want to give myself hope, or lead myself on, or _him_ , to anything that wasn't _actually_ there. I shook my head.

"No."

"No?" He seemed offended.

"Not... Yet?" I shrugged, shooting him an apologetic look.

"...I'm confused." His face fell into a glare as he watched me.

"Ah, it's..." I bit my lip, finishing the last of the dishes. He took it from me, setting it aside as he stepped closer, trying to make sure I couldn't distract myself with anything else. "I just... I'm not ready yet."

"And here I thought we were friends." That statement was more of a jab than I had anticipated, and I nodded.

"No, that's fair." I looked up at him with a grin. "I'm sorry. I know it doesn't make sense, but, can I have some time?" He stared at me for a while before he sighed, clearly annoyed. He turned to lean against the counter, looking at the table as he ran his hand through his hair.

"It's going to bug me, you know." He groaned. I clicked my tongue.

"I know."

"You'll owe me for it." He side eyed me. "And it'll get worse the longer I have to wait."

"Wha- That's not fair!" I moaned.

"It's not fair to tease me with something important, yet... here we are." He raised his hands as if to display the situation to me. I made to retort, but couldn't think of anything to say. I huffed.

"...What if I set a date?" I offered. He seemed both mildly amused and annoyed at the prospect.

"A deadline?"

"Yes." I confirmed, changing my demeanor to confidence. "Its uh... Almost November now... So... Christmas!" I announced. "I will definitely have to tell you _by_ Christmas." He began laughing, pulling himself away from the counter as he paced the room.

"Christmas." He seemed to mock. I crossed my arms over my chest, watching him. "And your thoughts won't change by then?"

"Even if they do, I will still tell you what it was." I gave. He paced around a little more before halting and turning to me.

"So. On Christmas."

"Yes."

"Then you'll have to come to the Christmas party." He shrugged. I froze slightly.

"Oh."

"Mother throws a charity ball on Christmas. Of course, she expects all her children there. And I expect you to tell me in person. Therefore... You'll be there."

"Oh, no."

"Oh yes." He grinned wildly. "You suggested it. These are the terms. You can tell me now, or you can tell me on Christmas, dressed up and attending a gala." I gulped, looking anywhere but him while I let the deal sink in.

I hated being put on display. Attending their dinner only confirmed that, and it was an intimate event. At the Charity Gala, it would be a _whole_ different level of uncomfortable.

On the other hand, telling Klaus right here about my suddenly developed, uncertain feelings seemed just as anxiety riddled as attending a ball.

I wasn't sure.

"...Can I think on that?" I asked quietly, my hands finding each other as I fiddled with each of my fingers nervously. There was silence for a moment before he sighed.

"I am too lenient with you." He growled. "You have until after we help Rebekah with the disaster that is likely the house right now." I looked up to see him turn on his heels, going for his coat and shoes. I followed after him.

"Thank you." I said. He sighed.

"Why do I feel like I'm regretting this already?" His voice was gruff, and annoyed, yet it _still_ sent a ripple through my being.

I finally understood the feeling that he gave me with the dark undertones to his voice, or demeanor.

It was _sexy_.

And I was embarrassed to even think the thought, since he was clearly irritated, but I couldn't help the heat rising to my cheeks as I slipped on shoes and grabbed my purse from the couch.

I couldn't get the thought out of my mind once we'd gotten into the car, either. I hid my face by looking out the window, the silence between us tense.

It was going to be a long day.


	13. The Day After: Part 2

"Something is amiss." Rebekah whispered to me as she conveniently picked up trash next to me. I looked to her, thinking her hushed tone might've been to keep her head from throbbing, until I realized she was casting glances at Klaus. I looked for myself.

He was idly picking up trash here and there, a scowl on his face as he snatched each one up. He seemed like he could be mumbling to himself, but I couldn't be sure. He was lost in his anger, taking it out on the trash as he shoved it in a bag, moving onto the next quietly. I looked to Rebekah.

"That... Might be my fault." I slumped, feeling defeated. I turned back to my pile and began scooping it into the bag I held. She eyed me.

"What did you do?" She pressed.

"More like what I _didn't_." I sighed.

"...You're normally thick as thieves. Klaus is easily hurt by the ones he trusts the most... I would know." She sighed. "What happened?"

"I... I have a secret from him. He's mad I won't tell him."

"Is it really so important?" I nodded to her question. "Perhaps I can offer some console?"

"...I'm not sure you'd be happy to hear it." I confessed, shrinking a little to her scoffing.

"Well, you have to tell _someone_." She huffed.

"I will." I nodded, looking to her. "I want to. I _want_ to tell _him_ , but..." She stared at me for a while before slowly turning her attention to Klaus.

"...Tass." She said calmly. "Would you answer honestly if I guessed?"

"I don't think I have a choice." I laughed quietly.

"You're in love with my brother, aren't you?" She said bluntly, but quietly. I stopped in my tracks, my heart skipping several beats before I quickly turned to her. A slow smirk spread across her features. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"W-well, I... I don't know if 'love' is the right term." The words were raspy as they came out, and I tried to gulp to wet my throat.

"Fine. So you have a crush on him!" The smirk transformed into a face of glee as it lit up. She clapped her hands together as she giggled like a school girl.

"Shh, Rebekah!" I hushed her, glancing over my shoulder to see if Klaus had heard her squealing. Secretly, I was relieved she wasn't absolutely appalled by the idea of my feelings for her brother. "...You're not mad?"

"Mad? What for, silly girl!" She shook her head. "No, I'm ecstatic! If he was distracted by his own love life, maybe he'd leave _mine_ alone!" She huffed before continuing. "It's been some time for him, it would do him some good to have a girl with her head on her shoulders rather than her hands in his wallet." I paused, looking back to Klaus.

"...The press outbursts." I said quietly. Rebekah hummed a confirmation. I had previously looked into some of the times where he was caught on film shoving cameras away aggressively, or screaming at paparazzi to leave him be, but I never delved into the drama. I assumed he'd be embarrassed, or afraid to admit to them. "The drama was his break up?"

"Mostly on her part." Rebekah rolled her eyes, picking up more trash. "She stirred the pot. She'd give the press information. _Personal_ information. About him, about the company, about us." She huffed. "She was a right witch. We all came to hate her early on, but Klaus was smitten."

"Who was she?" I asked, putting my bag down to reach over and grab a broom.

"You don't..? No, of course. You don't much care for that sort of thing, do you?" She laughed at the factual way she put it. "Aurora." She said her name in a mocking manner.

"The... Actress, Aurora?" I was surprised, but at the same time, I wasn't. I'm sure he could get any girl he wanted.

"Yes, exactly. Red hair, fair complexion, fiery temper, an _atrocious_ personality." Rebekah waved her hand around as she said these things about the woman, clearly unimpressed with her. "They dated for several years. She broke him, really." She sighed, looking back to her brother. I let my eyes follow.

"I didn't know." I confessed.

"She made it seem that Klaus wanted nothing to do with us." She sighed, becoming somber. "She kept him a secret from us, only relaying _his_ words through _her_ messages. I wager she did the same with him. She kept us apart, for a time." She took a breath, letting it out slowly. "She kept secrets from him, about herself. She lied to him. She lied to us."

"So, his demeanor, when he first meets people. Like the outburst from my interview?"

"Quite. He feels the need to always be on top of the situation, because if he isn't..." She trailed off. I could put it together from there.

He didn't want to feel like he didn't know what was happening around him, because there was a time he _didn't_.

"So... My having this secret..."

"It's probably stirring up things he wanted to forget." She shrugged apologetically. I groaned.

"Now I get why he's so mad." I quickly took the broom to lean it against the wall. "I'll be right back." I nodded to Rebekah, who returned the gesture. I marched over to Klaus, who apparently heard me coming, as he turned to view me when I was in close proximity.

"On a mission?" He asked. I ignored his tempered question and reached for the bag in his hand. Confused, he handed it to me, and I set it on a nearby table.

"Come with me for a moment." I said, grabbing at his wrist and gently tugging him towards the backyard. Reluctantly, he let me drag him until we were close to the lake/pond.

"Alright, that's far enough." He sighed, pulling his wrist from my hand. I stopped and turned to him as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "What's gotten into you?"

"I know about Aurora." I said flatly. His face contorted into surprise, and sadness, then anger.

"Rebekah." He growled.

"Before you chastise her, let me say something." I took a step toward him, and he merely stared down at me. "I didn't know any of it. She explained it to me so I could understand why my secret is hurting you."

"Did she?" It was an angry comment. I shook my head.

"I know, she shouldn't have been the one to tell me, but she did." I nodded. "And... That's why I'm going to agree to your conditions."

"...Come again?"

"I was hesitant to tell you my secret because of _me_ ; because I don't feel like I've gotten it all straightened out." I approached him until I was looking up at him, maybe inches away from touching. "You did nothing wrong. I... I trust you."

"...You do?" He was quieter now, and his features began to soften as he looked down at me. I nodded.

"I realize I should have explained better. I _want_ to tell you, and I will... Will you wait until then?" I watched him search my eyes for some time before a small smile crept into his features.

"So you'll come to the Party?"

"I'll regret it, but... Yes." I sighed. His sigh was one of content as he reached his arm out to me, grabbing my forearm lightly.

"I'll stay with you the whole time, if that would make it easier." I grinned.

"Well, I would hope so." I laughed. He grinned, his sour mood finally lifting.

"...You promise?"

"I promise. Christmas." I confirmed. I smiled up at him. "Nice to have you back." He rolled his eyes.

"I never left." He teased, pulling away. "Now, let's finish so I can take you home, and sleep until Christmas." I laughed loudly.

"You cannot hibernate for almost two months." I teased.

"You clearly don't understand my resilience." He mused as we walked back to the house together. I shook my head.

"You'd leave me all by my lonesome? Who would you have me drink tea with, Kol?" I raised an eyebrow. He chuckled.

"Fair point." He shrugged. "I _suppose_ I can keep composure until then."

"Good." I nodded as we walked inside. I viewed the daunting task at hand before my eyes landed on Rebekah. From the lack of things being cleaned, I gathered she'd been spying on us the whole time. She grinned, clearly guilty of said crime, before quickly starting to pick up things again.

"Rebekah." Klaus said in a scolding tone as he picked up his bag. "I swear, if you make me do _all_ the work, I will _never_ help you again." He growled.

"Good enough, Nik." Rebekah laughed. "And who will help you perfectly train your wait staff?" She inquired with a smirk. Klaus twisted his face into annoyance.

"Bribery..." He grumbled, pushing the trash on the table into the bag. "Why is it I let myself be prey to these situations?"

"Is it because you love us?" Rebekah suggested with a hint of mischief as she looked towards me. I gave a her a quick glare before turning my attention to Klaus immediately to note his reaction. He turned slightly to look at his sister, then slowly let his eyes travel to me. I turned away, grinning nervously as I picked up some trash.

"I have no comment on this." I chuckled, easily distracting myself. Rebekah laughed as Klaus huffed.

"Well, you _are_ my favorite sibling." He said. "And _you_ ," He said in my direction, "Are my favorite friend." I flipped around with a smirk.

"Your favorite, huh?" I teased. "Gosh, is the list _long?_ How did I get so _high_ in the ranks?" The warning glare he gave me came with a playful smirk attached, and I shrugged him off. I couldn't help but feel 'friend' was not quite the right word, but I couldn't put my finger on it. It didn't feel the same way as when Elijah said it.

It was almost like he didn't have the right word to say, either.

It gave me a very, very small spark of hope, but I dared not to dwell on it.

~.~

It took several hours of sweeping up glitter, picking up the various beads and cups and abandoned masks, to eventually piling a few dozen trash bags in one corner of the room to finally be done with it. Rebekah sighed, lugging the last of the bags over and leaning it against the rest.

"Dear lord." She sounded exhausted.

"Perhaps employ some of your guests to clean house for you, next time." Klaus suggested. Rebekah clicked her tongue, giving him a look of annoyance. He shrugged.

"But you do such a fine job on your own, Brother." A voice piped up from the doorway and we all turned to view Elijah walking in. I smiled warmly as Klaus laughed.

"And where were _you_ that you couldn't pitch in?"

"On business, of course." He stated. He looked to me and smiled. "I'm not sure if I should be worried or glad that they've inducted you into the clique."

"I honestly feel the same." We laughed together. "How was L.A.?"

"Busy." He sighed. He took off his jacket and slung it over a suitcase he had behind him that I hadn't noticed before. "And warm."

"How did you know where he was?" Klaus looked between us with confusion. I looked back with a similar expression.

"I did half of the phone interviews for the new Chef at that location almost a month ago." I said flatly, although I was proud to have been considered for such a task. "Elijah updated me about how they went a few days ago."

"Where was I?" He seemed upset at the prospect that he wasn't included in the event. Elijah laughed gently.

"Klaus, a decision hasn't been reached yet. I was planning to ask you to review them with me." He patted his brother on the shoulder. "...Not tonight, however. I'm spent from the travel. Next week?"

"...Alright." The answer was acceptable.

"You as well, Tassryn." He nodded in my direction. "Seeing as you were involved, I'd like us all to converge on the matter."

"Sure." I agreed.

He then bid us all goodnight before wheeling his suitcase away and disappearing upstairs.

"I think I should retire as well." Rebekah then yawned before approaching me. "I really do appreciate your help, Love." She grinned.

"Let's not make it a habit. Get a professional cleaner, this room is _huge._ " We laughed together.

"I'll make it up to you."

"And me?" Klaus piped in. She sighed, stepping up to him and hugging him.

"Yes, Klaus. Thank you." He chuckled, returning her gesture warmly. "Goodnight, then." she nodded to both of us before retreating in the same direction.

"And home for you." He said, reaching out to put his hand on the small of my back, gently pushing me in the direction of the door. I wasn't ready for the touch, and a cold chill traveled up my spine, starting from the place where he was holding me. I quickly glimpsed up at him, but he was only looking ahead, his other hand in his pocket again.

I tried not to think too hard about it as he led me to the car.

I tried not to let my heart pound loudly as he drove me home.

I tried not to notice how close he was to me when he walked me up to the apartment door, to make sure I would get in alright.

I tried not not to let him see the sorrow on my face as we gave our good-nights, the idea of him leaving hitting me in a way I could only assume as mild heartache.

I tried not to think about the way he held my arm by the pond earlier as I got ready for bed.

I tried not to think about the smirk he shot my way when I teased him as I nestled into the covers.

Most importantly, I tried to convince myself that Christmas would never come, so that I wouldn't have to embarrass myself by telling him how much I really, really liked him.

 _I am hopeless._


	14. One Week In: Christmas Countdown

I arrived on the Mikaelson's doorstep, shrugging the coat closer to my body. November had hit, and the chill came right along with it, the wind going right through me. I tried to shake it off as I quickly approached the door.

It immediately opened as I came up to it, a burst of warm air hitting me in a delightful way, and I grinned at the doorman.

"Thank you." I smiled and stepped in.

"Might I take your coat and scarf?" He offered his hand out as he closed the door behind me. I nodded, pulling said articles off of handing it to him. "Elijah is in the den." he then offered. I thanked him again before stepping in that direction.

Elijah was cradling a drink as I approached, looking somber towards the paperwork scattered about the small coffee table. His suit was unbuttoned, and his tie loosened.

He didn't look too happy.

I cleared my throat gently, and he perked immediately, setting his drink on the table and standing to greet me.

"Apologies. I was lost in thought." he grinned before taking my hand and kissing it. I grinned slightly, noting that I should mention to him that I wasn't a fan of such gestures, but I was more concerned for the facial expression he held before.

"Anything I can do?" I inquired.

"If you're good with temperaments." a voice piped in behind me that I didn't recognize. I jumped slightly, turning on my heels to view a dark man in the doorway, leaning against the frame as he smiled at me. "Sorry. Did I startle you?"

"Only slightly." I huffed. "The Mikaelson's are notorious for being light on their feet." He laughed genuinely, as if he knew. I looked him over, noting his carefree demeanor and lack of suited attire. Most of the family dressed up, even when lounging around the house, and this man was much different. So, not a Mikaelson.

"Allow me to introduce Marcellus." Elijah said next to me as he stepped up. Marcel pulled himself from the doorway to approach us.

"A pleasure to finally meet you."

"...Likewise." I hesitantly took his hand. A lot like the Mikealson's, he brought my hand to his lips for his greeting. "You run the New Orleans restaurant." I stated.

"And you run the one here in town." He mused, letting our hands drop away from each other. "You must have tough skin to stick around long enough to put up with these guys. I'm impressed."

"It's an acquired skill." I agreed, not thoroughly impressed with his behavior towards me. "You mentioned a temperament?"

"Klaus is hiding away in his room." Elijah confessed.

"I assume it has something to do with me." Marcel seemed proud of the statement, since the smile was still plastered to his face. I tried not to let my distaste show.

He seemed nice enough, but I didn't like how immediately friendly he became with me. It was almost like he was forcing himself to do so. What would he gain, exactly, by doing so?

Perhaps he _did_ want to be my friend. Perhaps there was an alternate reason for forced peace.

I turned myself to Elijah.

"I'll go up and check on him, at least." I nodded before snaking past Marcel, eyeing him as I did so. I made quick work of the stairway, heading up to the wing with all the rooms and pausing at the mouth of the hallway.

From my brief tour, I recollected which room was Klaus', and hoped my memory served me right. I approached the door and rapped on it gently.

"What?" A gruff, irritable voice growled from the other side of the wood.

"Hello to you, too." I laughed gently. There was a silence before the door opened slightly, revealing a disheveled Klaus. He had on a black shirt, which was slightly wrinkled, and dark blue jeans, which I felt was a little abnormal for him.

Or maybe it wasn't, but I was so used to seeing him more dressed up that it was abnormal for _me._

"Forgive me, I didn't realize." He ran a hand through his hair with a huff. I peeked into his room slightly.

"Can I come in?"

"Ah..." He hesitated, looking around slightly. "That's..." He seemed flustered. I giggled.

"Can't be worse than my room." I said, pushing against the door gently. He was surprised, but he didn't stop the action as I stepped in.

Looking around the room, I realized there was paint products strewn about everywhere, and easels, blankets and plates. There was a stack of turned canvas in the opposite side of the room.

The den of an artist.

"Klaus." I said with a grin before I looked back at him. "You didn't tell me you painted."

"Didn't I?" He shuffled slightly towards an easel that had a canvas on it. I followed behind.

"Am I allowed to peruse, or..?" I smirked slightly, eyeing the stack of clearly done paintings. He stared at me for a moment before sighing with a grin.

"Do what you want." he picked up a paintbrush and tried very hard to focus on the task at hand. I chuckled before walking over to the paintings, carefully pulling at them and turning them around to view their secrets.

Several of them were mostly views of various places that I couldn't immediately recognize, but they were beautiful to look at. I took in the detail of each one, with their dark colors and frayed lines. I picked up one in particular, noting that it was the front of the restaurant, beautifully lit up by a sunrise, or possibly a sunset, the oranges and reds really popping.

"These are gorgeous!" I breathed. I set them back against the wall, looking up and realizing there were several hanging as well. I reached for the edge of one before a hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.

Startled, I looked to Klaus, who was smirking down at me.

" _Those_ are still wet." He mused before pulling his hand away.

"Oh." I laughed. "Sorry."

"Not to worry." He turned back to his current masterpiece, and I walked up to watch. He seemed frazzled by me watching him work, however, as he couldn't quite get past one corner in particular. I smirked, purposely turning away with my hands behind my back.

I noticed another easel closer to the balcony door and approached it.

"Wait-" he tried as I rounded to look at the painting. I could hear the paintbrush clatter and onto the floor as I viewed it, my face falling.

There was dark blues and blacks in the areas that I recognized as the pond outside, but as if it were nighttime. There was some lights glistening on the water, but the majority of the lighting came from behind the focus of the painting: Me.

I could recognize the purple dress I was wearing the night of the dinner, as well as the jewelry that Rebekah had decorated me in that night. There was a clear smile being set in place, but the rest of my face had been left unfinished. And even with that factor, I still knew exactly what it was.

I turned to Klaus, who looked only slightly panicked at me.

"...You painted me?" I was more surprised than anything. He nodded.

"I like to paint things that make a large impact on my life." He stated as he looked to it. "Moments that I believe are pivotal." He stared at it for a moment before looking back at me.

"And... This moment. May I ask... How it effected you?" I asked. His mouth became a hard line at first, but he loosened into a smile.

"I realized that, If someone like you could forgive someone like me, or could even _like_ me as a person... Perhaps there's some hope for me."

"...Hope?" I tilted my head slightly. I wasn't sure what he meant.

"You of all people know I am not the nicest of individuals." He answered with a sigh. "It was a persona I adapted."

"You mean Aurora." I nodded, and he confirmed. "So you mean you weren't always a raging prick?" I teased. He huffed.

"Is it really so hard to believe?" He grinned back. I shook my head.

"No."

"I did think that I would never be open again." He looked towards the painting again. "That I would need to stay like this forever, never to trust anyone again. You said... You trusted me, and something... awakened." He motioned towards the art. "This is my fourth painting since then."

"You work fast." I laughed, also viewing the painting once more. "... Will you finish it soon?"

"You don't mind it?" I shook my head. "I can have it done first, if that is what you wish."

"I'll take it as my Birthday present." I grinned before walking away from the painting towards the fireplace in the opposite corner of the room, a fire crackling in it that I hadn't noticed before.

I _was_ distracted by the varying colors, after all.

"Your Birthday?" His interested were clearly peaked as he followed close behind. "Shall I inquire the date of such a momentous event?"

"Only if you _promise_ you _will not_ throw me some elaborate party." I huffed, setting myself on the couch.

"Have you ever known me to throw a party?" He mused, gliding in next to me.

"Not yet." I glared slightly. He held his hands up with a laugh.

"Alright. I swear."

"Good." I shrugged. "It's in a couple weeks."

" _Date._ " He said a little more sternly. I fiddled with the end of the dress I had decided on today, his demand sending strange feelings into my stomach.

"...The 13th." I mumbled.

"Good girl." The words slid easily from his lips, smooth like butter. As if the tone weren't enough, he stood to leave me temporarily alone with them, as if to let me soak.

If the feeling before wasn't already attacking my nerves, this one certainly was.

I cleared my throat slightly, deciding not to shoot him back a witty comment for the moment, turning to him.

"Well, Are you feeling better then?" I said, completely trying to change the tone around.

"What do you mean?"

"I... Technically came up here to ease you into the idea of coming downstairs." I shrugged with an apologetic grin. His smile fell as he shot a look at me.

"Oh." He said flatly. "Is that _buffoon_ still here?"

"I assume you mean Marcel." I inquired. He said nothing to this. "I believe he will likely be around." His face contorted slightly before he stared hard at the easel he had been working on previously. "Is that why you've been painting that one?"

"Yes."

"Tell you what." I said, getting to my feet and patting out my dress. "Let's go and get this over with, and go out afterwards."

"Out?"

"Yep. Out. You look like you've been holed up here for a while." I motioned to the plates and blankets with a smirk. "Seems like you could use some fresh air." I made my way to the door.

"And if I don't?" He shot towards me. I paused with my hand on the door handle, turning to him. "Don't want to go out there, I mean."

"Well, you _are_ the CEO of the company. You can leave it us, if that's really want you want." I shrugged. "Elijah saw fit to invite you. Maybe there was a reason." And I left it at that, stepping out of the room and gently shutting the door behind me.

I took my time getting downstairs and back to the two men, who seemed to be having a strange stare off. It was my turn to lean in the doorway.

"Any luck?" Elijah said as he noticed me.

"Give it a few minutes." I nodded. "We'll see."

"So she _can_ handle the temperament." Marcel piped in with a mischievous grin. I forced a smile at him as I decided to enter the room.

"I wonder why you're here, exactly?" I inquired, setting myself on the love seat. Elijah gave me a strange look, but I saw the smirk curling at the edge of his lips.

"Well, I was stopping in to visit the family I came to know so well." He answered, looking to Elijah for some kind of back up, but he merely answered by picking up his drink and sipping at it.

"And you've decided to stay for business?"

"Pleasure." He grinned, leaning forward on his knees. "You ask a lot of questions. Is there a point?"

"I'm a curious individual." I merely stated with a wave of my hand. "Perhaps I'm trying to get some answers. Isn't that typical?" he seemed to snort at the vague sarcasm in my voice.

"You're not what I expected." He confessed.

"I'm told I'm 'something else'." For this, I produced an actual grin, recalling the several moments Klaus had said this statement to me.

"That she is." Elijah agreed. Marcel seemed to look between us, trying to determine what his next social move was. I crossed my legs and leaned back in the seat comfortably.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Klaus said behind me as he entered the room. I grinned as he came around, setting himself next to Elijah. "Let's get started, shall we?"

"Hello to you, too." Marcel put out into the open as he stood.

"Marcel, I will get to you. Allow me to work on business first." He mused, a slight grin decorating his face as he picked up some of the papers. I leaned forward to join into the discussion.


	15. Two Weeks In: Birthday Mayhem

"I don't know about this, Becca." I sighed, watching as she curled another strand of my hair from the reflection of her vanity. "I'm just not really feeling it."

"That is _precisely_ why you have to go." She said, pointing the curling iron at my reflection once she was finished with the strand. "We need to get you out of this funk. And besides, you refused all ideas of a party for your birthday, so this is the closest I can get."

I took a deep breath, careful not to let it out as a sigh as she began working to finish my curls.

Right. Birthday.

My makeup was already done, and, even through her protests, I picked my own outfit. I wanted to be comfortable, but I attempted to pick something that would appease the fashionista.

She agreed it was alright, with a grumble.

It was sleek, black pants that were very form fitting, followed by a black halter top, and a white leather jacket, mostly intended for fashion as it had no usable pockets and came down only to my waist. I chose black ankle boots to accompany my outfit for the night.

I felt a little like a post-modern Olivia Newton John, if her hair had been much longer, and the lack of needing to be sewn into the damn thing.

"Vuala!" Rebekah gleamed as she put the curling iron down, unplugging it from its station. " _C'est magnifique_!" She then proceeded to run her fingers through her hair, giving it a quick shake as she checked herself over in the mirror.

"Where are we going again?" I questioned, turning in the chair I was seated in and raising an eyebrow to her.

"Some club Marcel said to meet him at."

"And... Klaus will be there?" I asked quietly. She smirked at me, to which I responded by huffing and pushing myself to walk towards the bed, where I had laid my bag and phone.

"Are you so eager to impress him?" She mused.

"On the contrary... When you dress me up, I feel way more nervous." I laughed. She grinned.

"Is it because you think he doesn't stare at you when you _aren't_?" I turned on my heels, surprised by her statement, and gawked at her. She laughed, grabbing for her things on the bed as well.

"Wait, does that mean he _does_ stare at me?" I pressed, taking a step towards her. she merely shrugged, completely enjoying torturing me. I raised my hands to my face, the heat signifying that I was clearly flushed. "Becca, don't tease me. I can't handle it."

"Alright, alright. Let's head out."

We made our way to her car, the likeness to Klaus' car being impeccable, causing me to wonder if they were all gifts from their parents.

Probably.

I also learned, very quickly, that I much preferred -anyone- else driving to her reckless abandon on the road, what as we reached our normally 45 minute destination in about 20. I thought I was going to swallow my tongue and throw up at the same time as my heart bursting.

She parked, checked her lipstick in the mirror, and proceeded to get out without so much as a mention to if i was alright. I definitely wasn't alright, and if I didn't look like a ghost just then, I would be surprised.

Looking in the review mirror, I somehow managed to maintain normal human coloring.

I followed after Becca quickly. She was walking faster than I had anticipated, perhaps on a mission of sorts.

"...Rebekah." I called for her, but she seemed lost in thought. "Becca!"

"What? Sorry, am I going too fast?" She said, looking to me and slowing her pace. I laughed gently.

"What's wrong with you?" I tilted my head. She shook hers.

"Nothing, really."

"No, C'mon, you're acting strangely. You hardly talked on the car ride, you sped like crazy, and now your bounding towards the club. What's gotten into you?"

"I just... I haven't seen him in a long time." She sighed, looking toward the club entrance. There was a bit of a line, but something told me she was going to throw her name around and get in immediately. I assumed she was talking about Marcel. "I want to give him an earful."

"In a club?" I wasn't impressed. "It's loud. You'll be drinking. He's probably _already_ drunk."

"You're incredibly persistent." She growled slightly. "It's kind of irritating." I grinned.

"I'm not here to judge you. If you're planning on having a little fun, then by all means." I shrugged. She shot a look at me that was a flash of anger, as well as confusion.

"Do you honestly take me for a Chav who throws herself at a man simply for being in town a short while?" Her voice became peculiarly shrieking as she said this, suddenly defensive on the matter. I smirked.

"A bit stand-offish, are we?" I mused. She was the opposite of amused. "I assume there's history there. Probably - _long_ if I had to guess." She made no motion to protest, so I continued. "So no, I don't think you just _throw_ yourself at anyone. I _do_ think if you needed to talk to him, you would've done so a week ago, when he was randomly lounging about in your house while we were trying to work." Her face contorted slightly in irritation before she sighed, defeated.

"I suppose your right."

"Do you, girl. Seeing as you didn't properly _maim_ me for having a crush on your brother, I'd say you get this pass." I laughed and she mustered up a grin.

"I guess you _do_ owe me that much." She laughed quietly. "Alright, let's go in and find them. Probably sloshing about." She rolled her eyes.

As predicted, she flashed a pretty smile at the doorman, giving her name up easily, and he let us pass without hesitation. I tried to get a good look at the men, but they made it practically impossible with the quickness they were using to shove us into the club.

Before I knew it, I was surrounded by complete strangers, moving their bodies back and forth to the rhythm of the bass pounding loudly in my ears. I could smell the variety of perfumes everyone close to me was wearing, as well as the alcohol and the subtle dose of sweat mixed in. The lights flashed in an array of colors over the sea of people, and I found myself a little dizzy.

This was not my scene.

...But was it Klaus'?

I clasped into Rebekah to keep track of her, grasping her arm as she weaved through the crowds until we reach an area with a chain across the entryway, signifying it was for specific personnel only.

The VIP lounge.

The guards must've recognized her, as they opened up the chain immediately upon her arrival and let us through, locking it behind us.

This area was much less crowded, with darker colors than the dance floor, although it still glowed neon to match the aesthetic. I heard Rebekah gasp, turning sharply as she seemed to spot a familiar face.

"Took you long enough." Marcel greeted as we were ushered into the booth.

"Marcel." Rebekah returned the greeting coldly before turning to the approaching waitress. "Something strong, darling." She grinned to her. The waitress then looked to me.

"Uhm... Something fruity, please." I said, slightly shaking my head. I hadn't the faintest idea of what I wanted, and I was too disoriented from the environment to really care.

Worse, I didn't see Klaus anywhere close by.

"Nice to see you again, Tass." Marcel grinned over at me as he leaned on the table slightly. "You look radiant."

"Thank you." _I think._ He then turned to Rebekah.

"What, nothing for me?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Should I have to worry about complimenting you when you always look ravishing?" He gave her a smirk and I could see the corners of her mouth threatening to turn into a smile. I rolled my eyes, but smiled anyway. _I thought so,_ The thought echoed from the back of my mind.

"Where's Klaus?" I asked, leaning in. "I thought he'd be up here with you."

"Probably scouring the floor for someone to play with." He said, waving his hand towards the chaos we had came in through. I saw Rebekah obviously hit Marcel with her elbow, giving him a look, and he seemed confused as he rubbed his ribs.

My heart sank.

"Don't worry, Love. He probably just needed some air." Rebekah attempted to reassure me, but i was more inclined to believe Marcel.

Ever since he showed up to town, he and Klaus had been inseparable, painting the town in whatever color they decided was fit for their moods. He'd even been mostly silent in our texts, and skipped out on the 'tea time' arrangement.

Somewhere, deep down, it made my blood boil that I could be cast aside so easily after the amount of effort he seemed to put into being friends with me. Another part of me thought that there was definitely another reason for his distance.

I looked to Marcel as our drinks came, smiling. "It's alright. He's a big boy, he can do what he likes." I then proceeded to slam that alcoholic beverage and asked for several shots. Something strong.

Rebekah looked worried. Marcel's facial expression only gained a smile, but was still confused.

After about an hour, I was pretty well drunk, and mumbled to Rebekah that I was going to go dance as I stripped off my jacket. She hardly paid me any mind, as she was enthralled in her conversation with Marcel, none of which I had cared to pay attention to. So, I slid out of the booth and made my way to the entrance of the lounge.

The doorman nodded to me, hopefully making a mental note of me so I could get back in later if needed, and opened up the chain for me to proceed.

I then found myself bouncing and swaying in the middle of the crowd, barely listening to the music, as all I could hear was the bass. I could feel my heart thrumming to the same beat.

After a few minutes, I felt something bump me, and I turned to see a man who was equally as surprised as I was. He flashed a grin. He was quite handsome, with his auburn hair pulled to one side and clean cut face. It was hard to tell through the flashing lights, but I'd say his eyes were brown. I grinned back.

"Sorry!" He leaned in slightly to say over the music. "It's sort of chaos down here!"

"I'm sort of into the chaos right now." I shouted to him before laughing. He returned the gesture.

"Shall we dance, then?"

"You don't even know me!" I laughed. He stepped in closer and leaned down.

"What's your name?" He said closer to my ear, probably so he didn't have to shout as much.

"Tass." I said back into his ear.

"Tess?"

"No, with an 'a'!" I corrected him. He nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Tass. I'm Lucien." He grinned. "Now we're not strangers." He held his hand out to me, and I shrugged, taking it. He pulled me into him, and we swayed to the music, that devilish grin never leaving his face.

I had to admit, it was pretty attractive.

"I've never seen you around before. This your first time here?" I nodded.

"I gather you're here a lot." I smirked.

"It's nice to get lost." He shrugged. "Very easy here."

"Very." We both laughed. "So what's a girl like you suddenly need to be in a club like this for?"

"I'm trying to..." I said, remembering why I was here in the first place. "Uhm... Well, it's my birthday, and I was here with some friends, but..." I looked around, but was unable to spot anyone familiar in the crowd. "Guess I lost 'em."

"Abandoned on your birthday?" He inquired before shaking his head. "This won't do. Come with me." He grabbed my wrist gently and pulled me through the crowd until we reached the bar.

"What can I get ya?" The bartender said as Lucien leaned over to him. He pointed to me.

"This girl's birthday is today, and she gets any drinks she wants." He said. The bartender grinned warmly as his eyes shifted to me.

"Well happy birthday! First one's on me! What can I do ya for?"

"Uhm..." I said as I wiggled closer to the bar. "A shot of... something. Strong!" I grinned, and the bartender nodded. He pulled out two glasses, pouring, I think bourbon, into them, and sliding one to the both of us.

"Drink up!" He mused. Lucien turned to me as we lifted our glasses, clinked them, then threw it as far back into my throat as I could, dreading the taste. It was awful, and I felt my face contorting as I shook it off, but somehow I managed to swallow all of it without throwing up. The bartender cheered as I set the glass down.

"One more!" Lucien said, tapping the bar. We took the second shot poured, which was much more difficult than the first.

"That stuff is... harsh." I said before coughing.

"You _did_ say strong." He laughed.

"True." I said through coughing. After a moment, it died down, and I looked up, my eyes travelling behind Lucien to land on no one other than the man himself: Klaus.

He was staring right at me, a look of disbelief painting his features, with his mouth slightly open and a drink in his hand. He looked like he was about to take it, but paused the moment he laid eyes on me.

"Oh no." I said, my smile fading.

"What is it?" Lucien said as he turned to look in the direction I was. I watched Klaus' eyes shift as he looked at the man I was drinking with.

"Nothing. Uh... Let's go back out on the floor?" I suggested, but he wasn't listening. Klaus was now swiftly standing from his chair and making a b-line through the bar crowd towards us.

I turned, holding my hands to my face.

 _No, no, no, this is not how I wanted to see him!_ I thought, becoming slightly panicked.

"My god, Niklaus!" Lucien's voice said behind me.

"Lucien Castle." I head Klaus' voice say in a pleasant tone, much different from the look he had a moment ago. "And my head chef." He said louder, so that I could hear.

Stiffened, I turned to face them with a plastered, drunken grin and laughed nervously.

"Oh, this is her?" Lucien motioned to me.

"I didn't know you knew Klaus." I said to Lucien politely.

"I hadn't realized you two knew each other." Klaus raised a curious eyebrow.

"We only just met." Lucien grinned, pulled me into him and wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I wasn't exactly thrilled to be in the position of 'arm-candy', and the flash over Klaus' face told me he didn't fancy the idea, either. "She's quite stunning, isn't she? Did you know it was her Birthday?" He said pointedly.

Nervously, I looked up at Klaus, and he was staring at me, almost sympathetically.

Had he forgotten?

"I did." He smiled warmly. "In fact, I believe your present is waiting for you at home." The smile turned into a slight smirk, and I couldn't help but grin.

No, he didn't forget.

"Sadly, I am not sure what she likes, except for the shots she took so hastily." Lucien laughed. "Otherwise I would've gotten a more appropriate gift."

"Nothing to worry about. " I waved off.

"So what brings you here?" Lucien redirected to Klaus. "This isn't your typical scene, right?"

"A friend of mine is in town." Klaus shrugged. "It's also someone's birthday celebration." He motioned to me. He held his hand out towards me for a little while longer than I had anticipated. Perhaps he was expecting me to grab it?

I flicked my eyes from his fingers to his face, watching his smile fall slowly before he retracted his hand. I felt my hands tighten around the cloth that I could only presume was Lucien's shirt.

Both of them noticed.

"Tassryn, where's Rebekah?" Klaus asked, taking a step towards us. I couldn't tell if he was trying to use his height as an intimidation factor, and even if he was, I was too drunk to care.

Lucien, however, held his ground. I felt him straighten a bit, and I shot a glance up to notice his smile had gotten wider.

"She's in the VIP booth, with Marcellus." I shook my head at the way his name slurred as it exited my mouth, attempting to shrug it off. "I'm sure they're fine."

"I'm more concerned with _you_ , Love." He said, pointedly. I narrowed my eyes slightly before scoffing.

"Yeah, alright, _Dad_." Klaus wasn't pleased with the attitude. I tugged at Lucien, and he had a hard time tearing his eyes away from the man before us and smiled down at me. "Can we go back to the floor?"

"As you wish." He grinned. As we turned, Klaus gripped Lucien's' free arm, causing him to abruptly stop and whip his head around to him.

"Absolutely not. Can't you see she's muddled?" Klaus glared between the two of us.

"You've been paying me no mind up until just now. What is you're problem? Suddenly you care? Bugger off!" I growled. Klaus blinked, making to respond before his attention was turned to Lucien, who looked between his arm and Klaus' face before tugging his arm away.

"I'll give you a pass, Klaus. _Don't_ grab me again." He warned. He gripped my shoulder a little tighter before turning and ushering me towards the ocean of people before Klaus could get another word in.

"Jeez... I'm sorry, Lucien." I said over the crowd of people. "I'm not sure what's been up his ass lately, but it's starting to stink."

"That's just Klaus." Lucien shrugged before he grinned again. "Why don't we get out of here? Away from prying eyes." I gave a confused, nervous grin.

"Huh? Well... I mean, I really shouldn't leave without Rebekah..." I shrugged slightly.

"We can just pop over to the Cafe across the way. Grab a bite, maybe some coffee." Before I could protest, he was pushing me towards a back entrance I assume he'd used many times before. "Perhaps a slice of birthday cake."

"Wait, I don't think I should leave." I tried to say. I swiveled slightly, and he caught me by the back of my shirt, pulling me back towards him in a forceful manner.

"What's wrong?" He titled his head slightly as he peered down at me. I wobbled slightly, but managed to back away from his hands. I felt the shirt was more loose, however, which did _not_ make me feel good about the situation. I tried to hold one of the sleeves up to no avail, as the other side just began dipping.

"You're a lot more... pushy than you were before we saw Klaus." I shook my head, my brain too fuzzy to think of something better to say.

"Perhaps I thought you liked men who took charge." He said, taking a step closer to me. I followed in suit, taking a step back. "We haven't even had any _real_ fun yet. Aren't you intrigued in the slightest?" He said with a smirk as he took another step.

I realized how tall he was then, except to note the fact that he still wasn't as tall as Klaus. I took a slight step back.

"...I was." I confessed. "But..."

"But?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You're whole demeanor changed."

"Ah. Not as attracted to the darkness as I thought." he mused. I tilted my head as he continued. "I thought that being enamored to Klaus, you'd be comfortable with that kind of behavior." He took a very demanding step forward, startling me a bit an I stumbled back.

"Stay away from me." I warned. He seemed to laugh at me, reaching up to loosen the top couple of buttons on his shirt.

"Are you going to fight me?" He seemed fully into the idea that I would struggle, and I felt disgusted. He reached for me arm, but I pulled it away and took a step back, which he followed in suit.

"Let's not be too hasty." He warned. "Wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea..."

" _You've_ got the wrong idea about _me_. And I want you to leave me alone." I warned. I realized, very quickly, he was inching me back into the darker area of the club, and I darted my eyes to either side to look for a way out.

 _Klaus,_ I thought desperately, _please come find me._

"After I so graciously paid for your drink and showed you a good time?"

"I'll pay you for the drinks." Another step back.

"No, no, darling. I want a different kind of payment."

A small part of me had actually _liked_ this guy. Now, I just wanted to vomit.

I darted my eyes back and forth again to the crowds on either side of me, but no one was really paying attention. They were too busy marinating in alcohol, carried away by the sounds of the base now thrumming to the rhythm of my heartbeat.

"...Guess I don't have much of a choice." I mumbled to myself.

I wasn't exactly in the best condition to defend myself, but I wasn't about to let this guy take advantage of me in what ever sick way he saw fit.

I wouldn't let that happen again, without a fight.

Before I could do much fighting, Someone came around from behind be and just nailed him in the face with their fist. He was stunned on the floor, I was stunned, the crowd around us had suddenly become interested, and was also stunned.

Lucien scrambled to get up, clearly enraged.

"What the _fuck_!?" He yelled, which seemed much louder now that we had an audience. I looked to the man as he was straightening up and turning to me.

"...Klaus." I said under my breath, completely relieved.

"Are you alright?" He said, taking a tentative step towards me. I nodded before flicking my eyes behind him to the rapidly approaching person. Panicked, I grabbed Klaus' arm and pulled him away, Lucien's fist only swiping at air when I did so. Klaus' attention was immediately turned to him as he stood between the two of us.

"How _dare_ you!" Lucien growled as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

"I believe the lady said she wasn't interested." Klaus warned. Before Lucien could give a snarky retort, several bouncers approached us. Two of them hooked onto Lucien, and another two approached Klaus, who held his hands up.

"Are you okay? Want us to take care of them, Ma'am?" Another said as he approached me.

"Just that one." I said, pointing to Lucien. "He was... Uh..." I swallowed the words as I tugged on my shirt again. I knew what it was leading up to, but I didn't want to think about it. Even trying to say it out loud made tears well up in my eyes.

The bouncer nodded like he knew, and motioned in a certain way to both sets of guys. Lucien was dragged off, infuriated as he was, and Klaus was backed away from.

We watched Lucien for a few moments before Klaus turned back to me. He stared at me for a few moments before taking cautious steps as he pulled his jacket off.

"I was late." He sighed, clearly upset with himself. He made to wrap the jacket around me and paused.

It took me a moment to realize that my back was exposed, and what that meant, and what he was looking at. The anxiety welled up in my throat as he then put the jacket on my shoulders.

"...Did he do that?" He asked lowly, a rage boiling up in his voice. I quickly shook my head.

I felt a tear escape and run down my face, and instantly his demeanor changed. He growled slightly, but it didn't seem directed at me, wrapping his arms around me tightly.

"I'm sorry. Don't cry." He said quietly. " _Please_ , don't cry. I can't stand it."

"Sorry." I laughed slightly, another tear rolling out uncontrollably.

"Don't." He sighed. "This is nothing to apologize for." He hugged me a little tighter before pulling me away enough to look at my face. "...Do you want to go home?"

"Yes." I nodded.

He nodded as he led me back to the bar. He proceeded to pay for his tab, and mine probably, before leading me out by the shoulders into the open air of the outside world.

After a few moments of walking, he lowered me into the passenger side of the car.

"You're things?" He inquired.

"Ah, they're in the other car..." I said, pointing towards the vehicle Rebekah had brought us here in.

"Wait here." I silently agreed as he shut the door, quickly making his way to Rebekah's car. A few moments later, and he was already heading back, sliding into the driver's seat and passing me my phone and handbag.

Then we were off, and it was mostly silent. That is, until Klaus scoffed aloud.

"You have bad taste in company." Klaus said sternly.

" _Thanks_ , like I hadn't figured that out." I sniffled, wiping at my eyes. "Where does that put you on the spectrum, eh?"

"You sound cross."

"We have a detective in our midst!" I laughed, although it was lost somewhere in the breaking of my voice.

"So you're mad?" Klaus said again.

"Well yeah!" I shrugged. "You've been ghosting me for a week now, and I was having fun, until you showed up!" I gulped slightly, turning towards the car window. "And then... Well, everything else."

I haven't been ghosting you. I've been... busy." He said matter-of-factually. I scoffed.

"Busy playing bar hop with a man you were calling a 'buffoon' a week ago. What's _that_ about, anyway?"

"You sound jealous." I glanced at him, and at first he looked serious, but then a slow grin spread across his face. "Are you jealous?"

"What exactly would I be jealous of?" I huffed, trying to swallow the lump in my throat that had formed.

"Have I not been giving you enough of my attention?" He mused. I felt his fingers on my chin as he turned my face towards him. "Or... perhaps there's something else." He tilted his head slightly as his hand pulled away and returned to the steering wheel. "Tell me, Love, what exactly were you expecting of me?"

The question pained me. It was something I had been thinking about for some time. It wasn't like he was all mine or anything. We weren't going out, and even if we were, he was his own person. He could do what he liked. So why was I so annoyed?

Maybe I'd gotten too comfortable with the idea of Klaus consistently giving me attention. I slumped slightly at the thought, but I knew that it was wrong of me to hope that I _would_ get all of his attention. Again, he was his own person, and he had his own responsibilities, friends, social life.

"...I don't know what I was expecting." I sighed, turning away again.

"C'mon, Love." He said, trying to turn my face again. I smacked his hand away, and his face instantly fell.

"Stop it." I said, looking sternly towards him. "What, you think you can just swoop in like some kind of hero and expect me to be doe-eyed and grateful!?"

"Doe-eyed? "I don't understand." He shook his head, pulling up to a stop light and looking stringent towards me. "Do you sincerely think I let everyone get this comfortable with me?"

"Maybe not." I waved my hand at him. "But it wasn't rocket science why you were at the bar, scanning the crowd, rather than drinking with your 'friend' in the lounge."

"Do enlighten me." He said, leaning closer to me. "Why was I scanning the crowd?"

"Prospects... Probably. I mean, you're lonely, right?" I shrugged. "I don't know." He laughed loudly, almost in an offended manner.

" _Prospects_ , honestly. Perhaps I was just _bored_." He growled. " _Perhaps_ I was just fed up with Marcel for the time being. _Perhaps_ my mind was in other places." I could feel his anger rising with the hostility in his voice. I blinked slightly, looking down. I felt a little ashamed accusing him so quickly, letting Marcel get into my head the way he did. "Perhaps I _was_ lonely. What of it? Why does it suddenly matter to you?"

"...The light is green, Klaus." Was all I could muster. He sighed heavily, cupping my chin to raise my face, forcing me to look at him.

"This seems hardly like you." He said, letting his features grow a little softer. "What is _wrong_ , Tassryn?"

I wanted to blurt out everything right then, just tell him everything. Tell him I hated how far he seemed recently, and how much I liked him. I wanted to say how much I wanted just to be close to him.

And then I remembered how many drinks I had had before this moment. Would he believe me, or would he think I was just in some drunken stupor, and play it off as such? not to mention, after the debacle on the dance floor, it didn't fully seem like the appropriate time to announce my secret.

I pulled away with a sigh. He sighed as well, turning his attention back to the streets and began driving in silence once again.

After a few lights had passed, he cleared his throat quietly.

"Can I... At least inquire about your back?" His tone was more gentle than a few moments ago. I looked over at him, but he was fully paying attention to the road, almost on purpose.

"Besides the fact that my birthdays were never really celebrated when I was young, I had _an awful_ birthday in South America." I sniffled slightly, looking out the window.

"I should've just focused on my career. But I was young, and stupid, and my emotions got the better of me. I fell in love."

"So you _did_ have a boyfriend." He seemed to laugh. "Contrary to what you told my Mother."

"She merely asked if I had one at home. _That_ was true." I chuckled. "This guy was my first and only boyfriend, since, you know... arranged marriage and all."

"Fair enough."

"He taught me the language, and the culture. I thought he was a gift from the gods." I threw my hands up towards the ceiling of the car in a dramatic gesture. "He was so sweet, at first. He took the time to lure me in, made me feel appreciated, and loved." I shook my head.

"My birthday was the day I decided I was going home. The relationship, if you could call it that, escalated into... something twisted. It was awful, but only up close. He was the perfect child in the open, and he was all hands behind closed doors."

"And as a result... He scarred you?" I nodded. "...More than that?" I nodded again.

"When I told him I was leaving, he uhm..." I trailed off slightly before pulling away the jacket and unfastening my seat belt. I turned so that my back was facing Klaus and pulled the shirt away to fully reveal the burn mark I had only seen in pictures, as well as reflections.

"How could I leave him? Did he mean nothing to me now? Clearly, I was just a pig." I bit back tears. "He said ' _Pequeno porco_ ' while he burned their farm's branding into my back."

I hadn't realized the car had slowed to a stop until he was pulling the parking break, pulled over to the side of the road. I felt his fingertips on my back, tracing around the scar slowly, meticulously. It sent chills throughout my entire being.

I looked into the reflection of the window, seeing the slightly distorted image of his face as he examined the area.

He was sad, and angry, and somehow, that comforted me.

"...What can I do?" He was quiet.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want it removed?" His eyes flicked up until he caught my gaze, staring back at me. "Or..." He trailed off, unable to find the words.

"...I hadn't thought of that." I blinked slightly. "I just always used it as a reminder to never trust so easily."

"And yet... You trust me." His fingers still hadn't left my back, and I realized, had it been anyone else, I would've instantly retracted.

Maybe I was just too drunk to care.

"...Yes."

It was quiet for a few more minutes before his hand finally pulled away from me. I tugged the shirt back down before facing him.

"I'm sorry for being cross with you earlier." He sighed. "You were right. I was ghosting you." I glared at him slightly and he only shrugged. "But, Not because I didn't want to see you, or speak to you. I didn't want you to grow sick of me always being around."

"...That's oddly endearing." I smiled, and he laughed. "I'm not sick of you, Klaus..." I tilted my head slightly.

"Now that I'm made aware that is _not_ the case, you'll never be rid of me." He smirked as he teased me.

"Oh, good." I said sarcastically as I laughed.

"Sorry this Birthday wasn't a grand one, either." He gave me a sympathetic look. "I'll make it up to you?"

"I am... open to the idea." I agreed. He nodded before pulling the car out of park and returning to driving as I put my seat belt back on, grinning the entire way back home.


	16. Thanksgiving Disaster: Part 1

"I am equally as excited as I am nervous." Keelin said as I walked through the door of our apartment. She was sorting through our pile of shoes in the living room in nothing but a towel on her body, and one on her head. "The Mikaelsons! A lavish party! While it's not exactly my cup of tea, who could turn such an invitation down!" She then scampered to the bathroom, shoes in hand. I chuckled, closing the door behind me.

"You can hold the excitement for the both of us." I grinned, taking off my work shoes and hanging up my coat. "I am not a fan of parties." A blur of purple caught my attention from my peripheral vision, and I turned with a grin.

Hanging on the mantle was the picture Klaus painted of me, finally finished. As aforementioned, on that distinguishable Birthday night, it was waiting for me when he dropped me off, with a big red bow attached to the corner.

I stared at it a little while longer before some shuffling took my attention away.

"Oh, c'mon now!" Keelin shouted from the bathroom. "Maybe you'll feel a bit better when you see the dress Rebekah sent over."

"Oh, boy." My heart sank as I sighed, making my way towards the bedroom. I flicked on the lights and was temporarily blinded by a cascade of shimmering gold, water-falling from my bed to just barely above the floor. I walked in further, picking up to examine it.

It was very elegant, and much more simple than I had anticipated, with a short skirt in the front, angling down as it rounded the back and dragged along the floor, supported by many wavy and fluffy layers. The top was a beaded layer that was see through from the neck to the bust, then it was the same gold color as the rest of the dress, although not as reflective. The reverse side was a mirror image of the front, and the only thing to hold up the top was the zipper that stopped mid-back, and the neck piece that snapped together on the backside of the neck.

I nodded slightly, giving an approving grin.

"Certainly could be worse." I muttered. I looked to the floor, and there were matching, simple gold heels that were, maybe, an inch and a half in height, and mostly straps. I sighed with another nod. "As expected."

"Okay, what do you think about this one?" Keelin said behind me, interrupting my thoughts. I turned to get a striking view of wine red, perfect against her dark complexion.

It was a simple mermaid style, with an off the shoulder layer for the "sleeves". It hugged her curves perfectly as she turned to show me the rear as well, looking over her shoulder to see.

"That is perfect." I grinned at her. She returned the gesture, her eyes landed on the dress in my hands.

"I was able to sweet talk Rebekah into that dress when she stopped by earlier." She mused, nodding at it.

"...Wait, so this _wasn't_ her first choice?" I groaned. "No, of course it wasn't. She wants me to be flashy."

"So it's a good thing your best friend is here to save the day." She snickered, making her way to the bathroom, shouting down the hall as she did so. "Now hurry up and get dressed! We still have makeup and hair to do!"

"Oh good." I rolled my eyes.

Almost an hour later, and Keelin had finished my makeup, _and_ hers, and we were gathering up our things to go when the buzzer signified someone was requesting access to the apartment. Keelin and I exchanged quizzical looks before I made my way to the door.

"Hello?" I said as I pressed the talking button.

"Good evening, Miss. Mr. Mikaelson sent me to retrieve you ladies for the evening." A voice said on the other end. I grinned, turning to Keelin, who had leaned in the doorway, eyeing me curiously.

"It's Charles." I indicated, turning back to the speaker. "We'll be down in just a moment, Charles, thank you!" I scampered off to slip on the matching heels Rebekah had graced me with, and snatched my purse from the bed, shoving in the important contents inside and zipping it up.

Keelin was not far behind me, doing very nearly the same thing. We made our way out of the front door and down the steps, after locking it behind us, and into the car that Charles was waiting by, holding the door open politely.

We both thanked him as he shut us in.

Keelin turned to me and dug into her purse. "Let me just touch you up a bit." She grinned, pulling out a can of hairspray.

"Not in the car!" I laughed as Keelin rolled the windows down just slightly. She shook her head, tousling some of the loose curls she left outside of the style. I could see them dangling out of either corner of my eye. The rest of my hair was up, tucked into loose, but stylized, bun on the back of my head.

She guarded my eyes before spraying in several places.

"There." She nodded, taking her hand and the spray away. She then rolled up the windows, as it had begun to get chilly.

Very quickly, we approached the mansion that was Esther Mikaelson's house, fully in Fall themed decor around everything the eye could see. I gawked at it slightly.

"By the look on your face, this must be unusual." Keelin hummed her amusement. "This is impressive!"

"It's a lot." I laughed. Charles pulled up to the inevitable hike we would have to endure to get to the party itself.

And we weren't the only ones.

Several guests, in very similar attire to us, exited other limo's and vehicles, and began their ascent. I grabbed my coat, Keelin following in suit, as we exited the limo when Charles opened the door.

I took my time walking to let Keelin take in the view of the vast property, as I had the first time I was invited. She gawked and cooed at all of the details, and I couldn't help but smile.

When we made it to the door, the doorman greeted us, and the other hired help offered to take our coats.

"Hello again, Miss." The second man grinned at me as we handed him our things. I grinned.

"Hello again. Staying busy?" I teased. He laughed.

"Of course, M'lady." He smiled as we passed, making our way towards the Ballroom.

It was _completely_ different from the last time I saw it empty, filled with lights, and candles, a whole line of buffet, Thanksgiving themed dinner, and _so_ many people. There were so many smells of perfume, and pumpkin, and different foods, and so much more than that. It was hard to take it all in.

I felt Keelin grab my hand tightly, pulling me from my fascination with the place. I turned to her with a confused look.

"I don't want to get lost from the only person I know." We laughed as we slowly made our way in. I took a few minutes to just look around at all the elaborate, fall filled decorations that were strewn about the room. Various oranges, yellows, reds, and browns in the forms of leaves, pumpkins, streamers, and much more decorated every inch of space that wasn't occupied by a person.

"I was wondering when you'd show up!" A voice piped up from behind us. I turned on my heels to find a grinning Kol approaching us from a group of people, hand outstretched as he came up to me.

I let him take it.

"Nice to see you, Kol." I grinned as he kissed my hand. He then looked to Keelin, his grin even wider than before, if that was possible.

"And who is this delectable creature?"

"Keelin Malraux." She gave him her hand when he offered, and kissed hers as well. "And you are... Kol?"

"Mikaelson." He finished, letting her hand fall away. "At your service." Her grin widened as realization hit her of who he was exactly. "Did you make it in alright?" He asked. It felt directed at me, but he didn't once pull his eyes away from Keelin. I rolled my eyes.

"Charles picked us up. I assume Klaus sent him over. Where is he, anyway?" I said, looking around aimlessly.

"Actually, it was me." Another voice said from behind me. I spun around to view Elijah smiling warmly, adjusting his sleeves to be rolled up above his elbow.

I assumed from the heat of the room.

I was used to seeing him in a suit, but this time, he had only worn a nice, white shirt with a deep grey vest and matching grey pants. He looked as charming as usual. "Wonderful to see you again, Tassryn."

"Likewise." I grinned at Elijah. He seized a moment to look me over, giving me that side smirk that gave me goosebumps.

"As for your inquiries about Klaus, he is otherwise entertained for the moment." He offered his arm.

"I see." I said as I accepted it. "Elijah, I'd like you to meet my best friend, Keelin Malraux." I said as I turned back around, offering the way to her. She stepped up to us, arm linked with Kol's.

"A pleasure, Ms, Malraux." Elijah said, taking her free hand and planting a chaste kiss there. She couldn't stop grinning.

"Please, Call me Keelin." She insisted. Elijah laughed gently with a nod as he looked to me.

"Interested in a drink?"

"Yes, please." I nodded. "It's stuffy in here. Is... Thanksgiving always this crowded?"

"Just the public party." He shrugged, beginning to lead me over to the banquet table. "The private one was a few days ago. I was sad to learn you were under the weather?"

I bit my lip slightly. I assumed Klaus made up something to keep them at bay. The truth was, after the incident, I wasn't sure I even wanted to come to the _public_ event. Keelin, however, begged me to take her.

"Something like that." I shrugged off. He tilted his head in an inquiring manner, but left the subject alone otherwise.

When we made it to the table, he offered a variety of choices: Punch, water, or cider.

"I recommend the Caramel Apple Cider!" Kol piped up behind us. I grinned.

"I guess that, then!" I mused. Elijah was quick to remove his arm, swiftly pour a glass of piping hot cider, then return his arm to me, holding the cup as he led me away.

"It's a bit warm." He warned, handing it to me when there wasn't a swarm of people around. I blew on it a few times before taking a sip and grinning.

"That's good. Hot, though." I nodded, affirming his warning.

"How do you like the decorations, Keelin?" Elijah asked over his shoulder, politely inviting her into the conversation.

"Oh, everything here is just _beautiful_. I was expecting a lot, but this is _astounding_."

"Good to hear." Elijah said, simper as he looked to me. "And you? Are you surprised at the amount of Fall we've managed to capture?"

"Yes and no." I laughed. "Esther has a large house, so I fully expected it to be elaborate, and yet, I was still surprised. This house never ceases to amaze me." He seemed satisfied with the answer before looking up and nodding to someone.

"I see Freya." He said as he led us towards her.

She was chatting up a few men in typical black and white penguin suits, but she clearly stood out in the delicate gold dress she wore.

Upon closer inspection, it was gold with green and white flowers decorating her entire bust and waist area, until it trailed out like vines, revealing the beautiful gold dress underneath that stretched to the floor. The last time I saw her, she had long hair, but she had cut it short, and feathered it out of her face, her natural makeup tying together the entire look.

She turned to us and smiled warmly, obviously excusing herself from the gentleman.

"Elijah! I feel like I haven't seen you all night." She laughed. He unhooked from me to exchange a brief hug with her before she turned to me. "And Tassryn! You look absolutely stunning." She leaned in to hug me as well, which was the first time we had had any exchange beyond smiles and handshakes.

It gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

She pulled away, and I noticed she was completely dazed as she looked behind me. I turned slightly, a patch of red causing me to remember what was there- or _who_ , rather.

"Freya, this is Keelin Malraux." I said, turning to her. "Keelin, this is Freya Mikaelson." They approached each other, shaking hands with warm smiles.

The air suddenly felt different when they exchanged hello's quietly, and Freya gave a sly smile. I looked between the two before clearing my throat slightly.

"So, you're studying to become a doctor?" Keelin asked Freya, which caused her to light up.

"And you're a CRNA in training?" She beamed. Keelin laughed slightly.

"So Tass talks about me." She shot me a devious look, and I shrugged.

"Can you tell me about the experience?" Freya asked, completely sincere in her interest. Keelin seemed impressed, and began talk about it, causing me to immediately turn to Kol, who seemed disappointed that he was at a loss for attention.

"Sorry, Kol. Better luck next time." I laughed. He sighed, shrugging slightly while grinning at me.

"Are we still on for that date?" He teased, causing me to snort in response.

"Only in your dreams."

"Then I guess I'll be seeing you later." He winked, waving and disappearing into the crowds. I rolled my eyes as Elijah scoffed.

"Incredible." He huffed. I tilted my head at him with a grin.

"Are you annoyed, Elijah?" He looked over at me for a moment before a grin replaced his hard featured.

"No. Not today." He took my arm again while leaning in slightly. "I think Keelin will be safe with Freya for the moment. Mind if I steal you away? I'd like to speak with you." I looked to the mentioned best friend, who was completely engrossed in conversation with the eldest Mikaelson, then nodding at Elijah.

"Sure."

He led me toward the dance floor, which was just a section of people in the ballroom dancing formally, surrounded by a group of people socializing and watching the group as they waltzed around. I paused prior to the area, causing Elijah to glance back at me.

"Everything alright?" He inquired. I chuckled nervously.

"I uh... I didn't realize you wanted me to dance."

"Do you not know how?" He raised an eyebrow, but there was no inflections to make me think he was being facetious.

"No, I do, it's just... Been a long time." I shrugged gently. A slow smile spread on his face as he tugged my arm gently.

Reluctantly, I let him drag me to the middle of the floor, assuming a formal posture as he pulled me closer. After a few mental counts, I felt his body sway, and mine followed in suit to his first steps. Before I knew it, we were dancing like the rest of them.

"I thought you said it'd been a while." He mused. I rolled my eyes.

"I guess muscle memory kicked in." I huffed. "So... You wanted to speak with me?" I raised my eyebrow, and he snickered.

"Yes, and I figured we'd have less interruptions this way." He said with a smirk as he twirled me out, then safely back into his arms, continuing the rhythmic sway. "It was less of a conversation, and more of a question."

"Alright." I nodded. "Hit me with it."

"I have made... _Several_ observations. About you." He said, dipping me gently. "And my Brother." He then pulled me back, pulling me right into a turn.

"...I see." I said, suddenly becoming flushed and nervous.

"I just wish to know your intentions with my family, that's all." His smile was gentle, but I could hear the concern is his voice. "What is it you want from Klaus?"

"...Want?" I shook my head. "I don't... I haven't asked anything of him."

"So you two _aren't_ romantically inclined?" He seemed skeptical. "You haven't swayed him somehow?" I forced Elijah to stop our dance in the middle of the floor, surrounded by the rest of the dancers, whom I assumed were quizzically looking on.

"...That you think we are tells me something I wasn't sure about before." I stated. He tilted his head gently. "However, that's a different matter." I pulled away from his arms, taking a step away from him as a feeling of anger swelled up in me.

 _Not too loud_ , I told myself. I shook my head with a sigh.

"Something seems off with you, Elijah." I stared at him hard, and his smile faded into a frown as he raised his chin slightly. "I don't know why you're suddenly so sour, but don't take it out on me. How dare you assume my character so quickly, and harshly." I nodded slightly to him, never breaking eye contact. "When you're not... Whatever this is, then come find me. Until then, best to avoid me."

I pivoted and quickly scampered off the dance floor, looking to get back to Keelin and ask her if we could leave.

As I found her, she was laughing, looking to be all smiles and and whispers, and I paused.

I couldn't break her away from that. It'd been a while since she got some _normal_ human interaction, and she was absolutely glowing.

Before she could spot me, I dipped away, only to immediately run into Esther, who was just as surprised as I was to be running into her.

"Esther!" I laughed nervously as I smiled. "I'm sorry, I was lost in my thoughts."

"Likewise." She smiled warmly. It was then I took into account her dress: It was a sleek, white two piece, with a solid white mermaid skirting and a beautifully pattered bodice piece and matching side bustle and long sleeves.

"How are you? By the way, you look astounding!" I threw out the compliment, and she relaxed slightly, clicking her tongue and rolling her eyes.

"Oh, posh. _You_ look stunning, my dear." She motioned to my dress. "This color is very befitting."

"Thank you." I tucked one of the loose curls behind my ear.

"I wonder, have you seen Elijah?" She inquired, taking a step forward. "He promised a dance with his mother, but he's been quite illusive." She took a quick look around and I cleared my throat.

"Yes. We were just there." I nodded. "He might still be close by."

"Very well." She sighed. "I'll meander that way until I find him. Do enjoy yourself." She nodded before elegantly floating into the crowd behind me.

I let out a sigh of relief, deciding to go to the outside, if only just for a moment.

I was able to weave through the crowd, back to the entrance to the lake outside, and pushed through the door.

I took in a breath of the crisp air, noting that it was much colder than earlier, so I shouldn't stay outside too long. A few more breaths, and I turned to go back inside when I caught the sound of a familiar voice.

I took a few steps in the direction of the voice, Elijah's comment ringing in my ears as I did so.

 _You two aren't romantically inclined?_

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Perhaps this wasn't as one-sided as I imagined it was.

"You crashed the charity _just_ to tell me that?" I heard Klaus' familiar voice, although it was curt, and hushed. Confused, I inched closer until another voice piped up that I didn't recognize.

"I felt it needed to be said _personally_." The female's voice was seductive, and drawled out just enough to have intent. "He's been under an amount of stress lately, and it causes him to have... questionable actions."

"It's too polite to call it 'questionable'." Klaus retorted.

"You're right. I deeply apologize on his behalf." She sighed.

"As _convinced_ as you've made me, I could care less about him. Or you, for that matter."

With as short as he was being, I was even _more_ curious to whom he was speaking with. Quietly, I snuck a peek around the corner of the building and spotted them.

A woman, sporting a mermaid styled red dress that hugged her every feature and a black fur shawl around her shoulders was facing away from me, towards Klaus, who was looking at her with such fury in his eyes. Her red hair fell in curls over the shall, causing me to realize _exactly_ who it was.

"Aurora." I whispered to myself, ducking a bit so Klaus wouldn't immediately spot me.

"Oh, come now, Nik." She said, the red of her nails visible as she lifted her hand to his suit and laid it on his chest. "You can't tell me you've not missed me."

"I've not." He said factually as he stepped away from her. "In fact, I haven't thought about you for the better part of the year. I've purposely missed all of your movies out of spite. And the publicity has been minimal, due to being a workaholic." He glared at her. "Why on _earth_ should I miss you?"

"Did you not love me once?" She closed the distance between them, her hair falling back a bit as she looked up.

"Once." He said quietly.

"Could you not love me again?" She was quiet that time. I saw her feet tilt as she leaned up to his face, her hand resting on his shoulder, and the lump in my throat fell to the pit of my stomach as I watched.

He made no movements to deter her from her action. No protests. No rejections.

I pulled back, only to step on a twig that snapped loudly. I bit my lip, silently cursing myself as I immediately turned on my heels and sped walked away, trying very hard not to let my heels click as I did so.

To no avail, however.

"Tassryn?" A voice called out. I stopped, trying to maintain my breathing. I wanted to crawl in a hole and stay there. I wanted to process the events in my mind, maybe cry about it, but not to him.

At least, not like this.

Slowly, I faced him. He looked surprised to see me outside, probably more so without a coat, with Aurora next to him, just as surprised.

She was just as beautiful in person as she was on TV, with her pale complexion and well done makeup.

I grinned at the two.

"Sorry. I was just trying to catch some air."I shrugged before making to go back inside.

"Hang on, then." Klaus said. I cursed silently again as he approached me, rounding to see me fully.

"Yes?" I asked. He studied my facial expression, and I tried to give him a warm smile. He then proceeded to look me over as he removed his jacket, wrapping it around my shoulder.

"You have a bad habit of wandering in the cold." He mused quietly before looking to Aurora behind me. He turned my shoulders until I was facing her.

"This is her?" She asked, stepping forward.

"The very one. The apology means nothing to me comparatively." Her eyes flicked up to view him, then slowly slid back down to look into mine.

"Tassryn. My name is Aurora."

"I know who you are." I nodded. She huffed with a hurt grin.

"I'm here to apologize on behalf of Lucien." She said before she bowed quickly, which surprised me, as it was an uncommon thing to witness. "I cannot imagine what was going through his mind, nor what you must've felt. I sincerely hope you'll forgive him for being completely uncouth." I stared at her for a hard minute when Klaus finally squeezed my shoulders. I pulled in a deep breath an released it slowly.

"I appreciate you coming out here to tell me that." I took in another breath. "...However, I cannot accept it. Please enjoy the rest of the banquet."

I pulled out of Klaus' grip, returning his suit jacket to him as I made my way inside.

Why, today of all days, did everyone have to _dump everything_ on me!?

Quickly, I found Keelin and tugged her arm gently. She looked worried as I pulled her aside for a moment.

"I'm going to go." I shook my head. "It wasn't a good idea to come here."

"Okay, let me say goodbye to Freya." She motioned, and I frowned.

"No, it's okay!" I stopped her. "I'll go by myself. You stay here and visit."

"I don't know... Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I reassured her with a smile. "Tell me all the juicy details when you get home." A chuckle escaped her lips as a grin spread across her face.

"I will." We nodded to each other silently as I pulled away, heading towards the entrance.

"Oh, no you don't." A voice said as my arm was grabbed before I could make it to the man handling the coats. Startled, I turned to look up at Klaus, who proceeded to tug me towards the stairwell.

"Klaus, wha-"

"I haven't seen you _all_ night, and when I do, you act strangely." He interrupted. "Not without explanation are you allowed to leave."

"And you think forcing me is going to make me more cooperative?" I stated loudly. He paused, looking down at his hand around my arm, and sighed. Gently, he took his hand away, distress painting his features.

"I'm... Sorry, I..." He ran a hand through his hair, pivoting to the stairwell for a moment before back to me. "I just need to feel some form of _normalcy_. Today has been a catastrophe of emotions, and I cannot have you upset with me, for whatever reason that you are. I will go _mad_." He took a few moments the breathe, and I lightly huffed.

"Let's go." I motioned to the door.

"Where?" He was clearly puzzled.

"To the restaurant." I nodded, shifting to ask for my coat and things.


	17. Thanksgiving Disaster: Part 2

I jingled the keys to the front door as I tried to handle the correct one to opening the restaurant doors, shivering as I did so.

"It's bloody freezing, Love." He growled, obviously impatient. I chuckled, finally getting the right one into the lock and quickly pushing the doors open. We shuffled in after retrieving the keys.

It had somehow gotten even colder outside quickly, so it was nice to feel the heater on my face from the first vent when walking into the dining room.

I pulled off my coat as I made my way into the kitchen, throwing it across the first counter top that I could reach.

"So... Why here?" Klaus asked, following in suit as he laid his jacket across mine. "And not your home?"

"Cooking is... Therapeutic." I shrugged, pulling at my hair until it cascaded out of the bun. I then pulled the frizzy mess into a ponytail, mostly just to get it out of the way. "And with all of the nonsense, I didn't actually get to eat." I huffed.

"Nonsense?" Klaus inquired.

"We'll get to that." I waved him off and headed to the cooler, grabbing various items from the shelves and bringing them back to the counter.

"I'm almost scared to ask questions. Was it entirely a mess?" He mused with that smirk, and I couldn't help but smile in response.

"More than that." I began pulling out pans and spices, taking to the beginnings of my dishes. "Did you get to eat?"

"Admittedly, no." He sighed, grabbing the chair from the corner table and pulling it up to the counter. "Aurora _refused_ to leave my side. It was excruciating." He seemed really exasperated by the prospect as he leaned his head against his arms on the counter. "I didn't get to enjoy the festivities _at all_."

"I'm sorry." I said over the sizzling of the food.

"To top it off, Marcel and Rebekah have been attached at the hip since the club. I'm quite vexed."

"There's history there, right?" I raised an eyebrow. Klaus shifted his eyes up to mine with a sigh.

"She told you."

"Actually, I guessed." I chuckled. "She was equally as peeved at him as she was interested."

"That cur." He growled. " _Always_ after my sister."

"I mean... He isn't my cup of tea, clearly, but he seemed to treat her well enough." I shrugged. "She could be attracted to worse men?"

"Are you trying to justify my sister dating my pupil?" He was cross about the prospect.

"Mm... I'm just saying, you're not their keeper, and their adults." I began adding spices and sauces to the dish, stirring it around a bit to keep it from burning. "If she's happy, does it _really_ matter?"

"...You make a point." he grumbled quietly. I snorted.

"You sound convincing." I teased.

"Come off it, then." He groaned. "Tell me about your night." I sighed.

"Elijah was short with me after pretending to be overly friendly. You're mother practically ignored me, save for one compliment. The only good thing to come out of tonight was that Keelin and your sister were hitting it off _swimmingly_." I rumbled. "And then you..." I said, my eyes flicking to him. His interests were visibly perked, but I cleared my throat, cutting off the thought.

"Well?" He tilted his head as I plated the food. I had decided on simple stir fry, with thin cut strips of beef, some broccoli and white rice, with a little soy for flavor.

"Well... Less you, more Aurora." I tried to use her as a cover, but he seemed unconvinced. "Her apology was as unexpected as it was uninvited. The _last_ thing I wanted on a day of supposed festivities was an apology from a front man." I griped. He hummed an agreement.

"But you were still annoyed with me?" He took a plate as I handed it to him, and he sat up to take it gently. I nodded slowly. "Why?"

"...I just thought..." I said before picking up my plate and making my way to the table. "I don't know. It's probably just a misunderstanding."

"Well, tell me anyway." He joined me, pulling he chair back and sitting across from me.

"I thought you were over Aurora?" I suggested. "Well, maybe not... _Over_ her, but done with her, at least." I felt like a jerk as I watched him stare back at me, waiting for him to respond.

"...So you _were_ spying on me." He stated, a smirk spreading wide across his features. "I wasn't sure, but I am now."

"I'm not proud." I exhaled. "I really was trying to get some air. I heard your voice, and... Well, I happened to catch the end of it." I bit my lip, ashamedly. He only chortled.

"The pitiful attempt of her seduction act?" He raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps it worked once, but I have _no_ intent of reliving that nightmare." He scooped up some of the contents of the plate onto his fork, the smirk never leaving his face.

"So... You didn't kiss?" I probed.

"Not for lack of trying, on her part." He scoffed. "Besides, I have been scouring for other prospects, remember?"

"I said I was sorry for that!" I laughed. "You promised you wouldn't bring it up."

"You're right. My apologies." He said before shoveling food into his mouth. He groaned, obviously satisfied with my choice of dish. I grinned, also beginning to eat my portion.

"You never said why Elijah was short with you." He then poked. I took in a deep breath.

"Right... That." I cleared my throat. "I don't know. Nonsense, I guess... I think something was particularly bothering him. And... I may have went off on him after."

"Oh? On Elijah?" he seemed perplexed. "That _is_ quite odd."

"He was completely out of character." I shook my head. "Nothing out of the ordinary stress?" I inquired. Klaus responded with the shake of his head.

"Not that I have heard. I will speak with him."

"Don't... Mention any of this, though. I feel bad enough." I slumped. He smiled warmly at me.

"Elijah incurred your wrath, and _you're_ the sorry one." He pondered. "You are something else." He took a bite of his food. I snorted.

"I'm starting to believe that phrase has an alternate meaning." I narrowed my eyes at him. Klaus merely stared at me for a few moments before huffing, taking another bite of his food.

 _He didn't deny it..._ I thought to myself, reluctantly putting more food into my mouth.

We quickly finished the meal in silence and I huffed.

"Well... Dessert?" I questioned. He hummed.

"Is there honestly a choice?" He mused. I rolled my eyes, picking up the plates as I went back to the kitchen.

"...Do you want to help?" I asked as I laid the plates in the sink. He seemed befuddled by the question.

"You... Want the one who doesn't cook to help you in the kitchen?" He pressed.

"You make a fair point." I laughed. "But I doubt you can muck up frosting." I shrugged, going back into the cooler for milk and eggs and returned to the counter with them.

Klaus, hesitantly, approached, standing next to me. I pulled out a recipe for frosting and set it up next to him.

"Just follow this. Otherwise, I'll answer any questions."

"I think you're overestimating my abilities." He chuckled.

"Nonsense. I have faith." I beamed before working to make up a delicious cake for the frosting to go on.

I decided on a lemon cake, but subtle, not overly lemony, and I was going to help Klaus make up the blackberry preserves to mix into his frosting, which was going slowly.

He was a lot more meticulous than I expected, but then again, maybe he was nervous to mess up something in front of someone who cooks all the time.

He was satisfied with his finished product by the time I was throwing the cake into the oven, and I reviewed his handiwork. I took a clean spoon, dipping it into the frosting and tasting it.

"Good! Now we're going to make it complicated." I teased. He groaned.

"I knew there was a catch." He sighed.

"Don't worry, I'm _sure_ the great Klaus Mikaelson can handle a few blackberries." I snorted. He scoffed.

"Was that a jest?" He feigned offense. "Shall I retaliate?"

"And how should you get even?" I taunted. "Are you going to tease me to death? How awful!" I slapped my hands against my face in a surprised manner before breaking into laughter.

"Oh, confident, are we?" He grinned. "How about this then?" He scooped up a glop of frosting with his finger and hit my nose with it.

Completely surprised, I gawked at him, causing him to erupt in a fit of giggles.

"Is that how we're playing this?" I said, pulling the frosting from my nose and gently slapping it to his face as he was distracted with laughing.

"Oh, you've done it now." He said, _really_ scooping it out of the bowl with all of his fingers and taking a step towards me.

"No, no, do _not_ get any on this dress, Klaus Mikaelson!" I playfully warned as I backed away, my hand outstretched towards him.

"Oh, you should've thought about that before starting a war with the most powerful frosting maker." He joked before taking several steps towards me.

Squealing slightly, I tried to dash around to the other side of the counter, only to have him cut me off and corner me into the cabinets.

"Seems I've gotten the best of you." He said triumphantly. "How shall I make you beg me _not_ to smear this all over your face?"

"It would be a waste of perfectly good frosting?" I tried, completely failing to make a good argument.

"Seeing as it's already all over my hand, I'd say it's already perfectly usable for something devious." He pushed his hand towards me, and I caught it with a fit of laughter.

"Oh god, no, I take it all back. Don't do it!" I giggled as we play fought with this clump of frosting.

He hardly seemed like he was trying, as I was confident he could clearly overpower me here.

Perhaps he was humoring me.

"What was that?" He said, grabbing one of my hands with his free, un-frosted hand and pulling it away from the arm I was gripping in an attempt to fight him off. "You don't want to accept my most gracious gift of free frosting?"

"No!" I laughed lightly. He laughed as well, suddenly pushing himself close to me as his hand came close to my face.

"Then..." He said, but he never finished, as he was just staring at me, only inches away from my face. I looked up at him then, my smile fading as I felt my cheeks flush.

My heartbeat quickened its pace suddenly, and I could hear it thrumming in my ears as I watched his eyes linger to my lips for only a moment, returning to stare into mine.

I gulped, my stomach now in my throat, trying to decipher what was going through his head as we stood there like that, which seemed like an eternity.

After a few deep breaths, he blinked twice before suddenly pulling away. Our hands fell away from each other and he looked almost as bewildered as I felt.

"...I should go." He said quietly before turning away from me, grabbing a towel to wipe off his hand with. He then rounded the counter to grab for his things.

I wanted to say something, but I couldn't get any of my muscles to cooperate, let alone my mouth to form words. I heard him shuffling, probably to put his jacket on, a portion of silence while I was still leaning against the counter, and then the clicking of the swinging door falling back into its normal position.

Then, after he left, I turned on my heels to see where he had walked, my breathing ragged is if I had been running.

 _...He almost kissed me._ The realization dawned on me, and slowly, I raised my hand to my lips. _He could have... Why did he hesitate?_ The question bounced around in my mind, with many answers as possibilities, but none I was sure of.

Before I could give much thought, the timer for the cake went off, startling me from my thoughts.

"...Guess I'll finish this." I said absentmindedly, preparing myself to do just that.


End file.
